27th UDCG Meeting Held
On the 11th (local time), European countries including the United Kingdom and Germany pledged an additional military aid package worth a total of 21 billion euros (approximately 35 trillion won) to Ukraine.
John Healey, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, stated at a press conference after the 'Ukraine Defence Contact Group' (UDCG) meeting held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, "The scale of military support has increased to a record level."
On the 11th (local time), the 'Ukraine Defense Contact Group' (UDCG) meeting was held, led by the UK and Germany to coordinate support for Ukraine. From the left in the photo are Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Minister of Defense, and Boris Pistorius, Germany's Minister of Defense. Photo by AFP
Healey did not specify the amount of support promised by each country or whether the military aid already announced individually was duplicated.
On the same day, the UK, together with Norway, decided to provide additional support worth a total of 580 million dollars (approximately 832 billion won), consisting of hundreds of thousands of military drones, radar systems, and anti-tank mines. Some of the funds will be used for the maintenance of Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Germany will provide four additional IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine this year. It will also deliver 300 guided missiles and 100 ground-based surveillance radars.
The UDCG meeting held that day was the 27th meeting since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, aimed at coordinating support for Ukraine. The UDCG was launched under the leadership of the previous US administration under Joe Biden, but since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the UK has mainly led the meetings.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Minister of Defence, said after the meeting, "This is the largest military aid package Ukraine has received," and expressed gratitude to all the countries that participated in the support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a video speech at the meeting, repeatedly appealing for 10 more Patriot air defense systems. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he urged, "Free countries have (Patriots)," and "A political decision to implement them for peace is needed."
In a subsequent address to the nation, President Zelensky revealed that Ukraine is ready to purchase additional air defense systems and has discussed this with US President Donald Trump. According to Reuters, he said, "Ukraine is not just asking. We are ready to purchase the appropriate additional systems."
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