The Western allies were due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Ramstein airport in southwestern Germany on Thursday.
“The main priority is to continue strengthening our air defense systems and ensure that we can at least drive Russian military aviation away from our cities and borders,” Zelensky wrote on X before the gathering.
The meeting will be the last such summit before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20. Thus, it was seen as an important effort to secure aid for Kiev as Trump has signaled that he may not be as sympathetic towards them. Ukrainian cause as President Joe Biden.
Aides are struggling to arrange aid before Trump’s inauguration
Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce a major new aid package. Under Biden, the US has been Ukraine’s biggest financial supporter, sending a total of $65 billion in funds and equipment.
Trump has promised to swiftly end Russia’s war in Ukraine but has offered no concrete policy proposals to do so.
Austin said upon arriving at Ramstein, “It’s really important to continue military support for the entire alliance. Now, the United States has led this effort, and hopefully … will continue to do so, because this is not over. “
Russia and Ukraine are trading increasingly intense drone strikes ahead of Trump’s inauguration as they both seek to strengthen their military positions ahead of a potential shift in US policy.
On Thursday, Russia was still battling a fire started by a Ukrainian attack a day earlier that targeted an oil depot used by the country’s air force in the Saratov region. At the same time, the Ukrainian Army said that it had shot down 46 Russian drones overnight.
es/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
