Ukraine secures nearly $38 billion in military aid after Ramstein meeting

Ukraine’s partners pledged nearly $38 billion in new military aid at the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format on Feb. 12, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Fedorov said the total assistance amounts to almost $38 billion, with about $35 billion already confirmed. He added that most of the funding will go toward strengthening Ukraine’s air defense systems and expanding its drone capabilities.

Ahead of the summit, Fedorov outlined Ukraine’s military priorities for 2026, including increasing Russian battlefield losses, strengthening air defenses, and intensifying economic pressure on Moscow to make the war more difficult for the Kremlin to sustain.

“The president set a clear task for the Defense Ministry: build a system to stop the enemy across all domains — air, land, and sea — and strike the aggressor’s economy asymmetrically,” Fedorov wrote on X. “Our goal is to make the cost of this war unbearable for Russia.”

Fedorov said Russia sustained a record 35,000 verified troop losses in December. Ukraine aims to increase monthly Russian losses to at least 50,000, he added.

Air defense remains Ukraine’s top priority, Fedorov said at an earlier press conference that same day, during which he announced the launch of a multilayered “small” air defense system and new interceptors to counter long-range drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the Ramstein meeting, Fedorov presented 18 strategic defense projects planned for 2026, including expanded funding for domestically produced missiles and the creation of specialized drone assault units.

“We are not just scaling; we are inviting partners to invest in battle-proven tech that changes the front line,” he said.

He also urged partners to increase sanctions and fully block Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to circumvent oil sanctions.

“Stopping every Russian tanker is the fastest way to halt the aggressor’s war machine,” he said.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group — known as the Ramstein format — was established by the United States in March 2022, bringing together more than 50 countries to coordinate military support for Ukraine. The latest meeting comes as Russia continues large-scale winter attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, deepening Ukraine’s energy crisis.