Germany and Britain on Friday sent a message to Russia that Ukraine will be able to keep up its fight thanks to Western support, even as the US pushed ahead with talks with Moscow.
The European powers for the first time co-led a meeting of the Ramstein group of some 50 countries that give military support to Ukraine after Washington gave up the chair and said they could not detect any signs that Vladimir Putin was ready for peace.
As they met, US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff flew into Russia for talks with the Russian president.
German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius said after the gathering at NATO's headquarters in Brussels that given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, they must concede that peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was set up by the US under Biden's administration to coordinate military aid to Ukraine and push governments to deliver more.
However, the Trump’s administration, which has put its future military support for Ukraine in question as it presses both sides for a ceasefire and tries to end Russia's isolation, has reportedly stepped back from leading it.
Both Pistorius and his British counterpart, John Healey while speaking to reporters, sought to reassure Ukraine that the West's military support would last.
“We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support. Russia needs to understand that Ukraine is able to go on fighting, and we will support it … Ukraine can count on us,” Pistorius said.
Healey described 2025 as a crucial year in Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion: “Now is the critical moment in that war … and we are saying to Ukraine: we stand with you in the fight, and we will stand with you in the peace.”
