MOSCOW, January 23 Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Tuesday at a meeting of the contact group on the defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format, he called on Kiev’s allies to increase the volume of military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the press service of the ministry reports.
According to the department, the 18th meeting in the Ramstein format started in an online format.
““Now it is necessary to increase long-term packages of military assistance to Ukraine,” the press service of the Ministry of Defense quotes Umerov as saying on the Telegram channel.
According to him, sufficient quantities of equipment and ammunition, maintenance and spare parts are a critical component of success. “But a breakthrough requires innovation and significant technological progress,” the press service quotes Umerov as saying.
According to Umerov's forecasts, in 2024 defense technologies will play a central role “on the agenda” for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. He emphasized that in this regard, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is ready to co-invest in technologies and joint productions, and enter into contracts with interested companies.
Earlier, Umerov admitted that shell starvation is a serious problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Last week, the French Ministry of Defense reported that about 50 Ramstein countries have created a coalition that is designed to simplify the financing of artillery supplies to Ukraine.
Russia previously sent a note to NATO countries over arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia, that NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine — not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel on their territory.
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