European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
Europe Steps Up at Ramstein to Strengthen Ukraine’s Air Defence
Eu today ـ Britain and Germany used the 36th Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting to press allies for faster deliveries, as European governments assume a larger share of financing military support while continuing to rely on US-made air-defence systems.
European governments are moving to accelerate military deliveries to Ukraine before winter, with air and missile defence at the centre of the 36th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, commonly known as the Ramstein format.
The virtual meeting on 8 September was co-chaired by British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, reflecting the larger coordinating role taken by European states within a format originally led by the United States. NATO confirmed that Germany and the United Kingdom chaired the meeting.
Washington remains involved. US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby took part in the meeting, while American weapons continue to reach Ukraine through programmes increasingly financed by European governments and other NATO allies.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told participants that support had to be delivered with greater urgency, warning that delays “cost human lives”. He said allies had pledged €70 billion in support for Ukraine at the Ankara summit and that additional bilateral commitments would be required to reach that level.
A detailed package of priority requirements presented to the contact group put air defence, Ukrainian drones and extended-range ammunition at the top of the agenda.
The emphasis on speed reflects Ukraine’s immediate problem. Contracts for new missiles can secure supplies several years ahead, but Kyiv requires additional interceptors before an expected increase in Russian attacks on energy and other infrastructure during the colder months.
European money, American equipment
One of the mechanisms increasingly connecting European financing with American weapons production is NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL.
Rutte said allies had allocated more than $10 billion over the past year through PURL and US Foreign Military Sales for Ukraine, including $3.5 billion from the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan. Under PURL, US military equipment is purchased with money provided by NATO allies and partners.
The arrangement illustrates the present division of responsibility. European governments are providing a larger share of the financing, but Ukraine still depends on American manufacturing for several categories of equipment, particularly Patriot air-defence ammunition.
The EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan provides a wider financial base for military procurement. The programme for 2026 and 2027 is divided indicatively between €60 billion for defence support and €30 billion for budgetary assistance.
For 2026, up to €45 billion has been authorised, including €28.3 billion for Ukraine’s defence industrial capacities. The European Commission says €8.4 billion from the loan’s defence component had been disbursed by late August.
Britain used the Ramstein meeting to announce a separate £100 million contribution through PURL. The British winter air-defence package includes Patriot missiles and other air-defence equipment that London says will be delivered before winter.
Britain is also continuing deliveries of drones and artillery ammunition. The government says it intends to provide more than 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year, of which 25,000 had been delivered by 8 September. These include interceptor, reconnaissance and attack drones.
Germany is meanwhile drawing directly on its military inventory. Pistorius announced the urgent transfer of additional PAC-2 Patriot interceptors from Bundeswehr stocks, according to details of the decision reported after the meeting, and called for other governments to consider releasing missiles from their own inventories.
A changing Ramstein format
The September meeting showed how the Ramstein mechanism is adjusting to a different division of responsibilities between the United States and Europe.
Britain and Germany now provide the political leadership of the contact group, while NATO has taken an increasingly prominent role in coordinating requirements, financing and deliveries.
The United States, however, remains central to the supply chain. European governments can finance Patriot missiles and other equipment, but they cannot rapidly replace American production capacity in areas where European inventories and manufacturing lines remain limited.
Washington itself describes the shift as deliberate. In previous remarks to the contact group, Colby said the United States expected European allies to take the leading role in financing Ukraine and providing conventional defence, while American equipment could continue to be purchased through mechanisms such as PURL.
That makes the current model less a separation from Washington than a redistribution of roles: European states are assuming more of the financial burden and political coordination while continuing to purchase US equipment where alternatives cannot be delivered quickly enough.
The immediate test will come before winter. Ramstein members have accumulated large financial commitments, but Kyiv’s priority is now the period between those commitments and the arrival of weapons.
For governments participating in the contact group, the question is therefore increasingly not how much military assistance can be promised for future years, but how much equipment can be taken from existing stocks and placed in Ukrainian service within weeks or months.
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
