Ramstein format
The Ramstein format is an international coordination framework for military aid to Ukraine, launched in April 2022 at the United States Air Base Ramstein in Germany on the initiative of the United States. It operates as a regular meeting of defence ministers and senior officials from roughly fifty partner countries, convened under the joint leadership of the US Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The consultations coordinate the provision of weapons, equipment, ammunition, training and financial support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It has functioned as the principal multinational mechanism for channelling military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
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Ukraine's 2027 defense budget leaves $70 billion shortfall, ministry says
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence estimates 2027 defense needs at $175 billion, nearly double the roughly $100 billion allocated in the government's draft state budget. Officials say the $70 billion gap must be closed with international partners through instruments such as the Ramstein format and PURL. The draft, Ukraine's sixth wartime budget, projects total expenditures above 8 trillion hryvnias and relies on foreign assistance to cover a 4.3 trillion hryvnia gap.
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Ukraine's defense budget faces $27 billion deficit, PM says $20 billion to come from partners
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's defense budget has a $27 billion shortfall — part of the $155 billion war financing figure declared at February's Ramstein-format meeting. Around $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and internal reallocation, with roughly $20 billion being sought from international partners for drones, missiles and military equipment.
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At virtual Ramstein meeting, Germany announces Patriot interceptors and 'City Dome' shield for Ukraine
At the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on 8 September, held virtually, Germany announced the urgent transfer of PAC-2 Patriot interceptors and additional AIM-9 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, launched the 'City Dome' project to shield Ukrainian cities from drone and missile strikes, and committed to financing tens of thousands of long-range artillery shells. The UK pledged £100 million through PURL for air defense, the EU approved financing for 3.2 billion euros of Patriot missiles, and Ukraine outlined plans to contract around 1,000 Patriot missiles and several thousand additional IRIS-T missiles with partner support. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said civilian deaths in Ukraine are at their highest since May 2022 and warned that delays cost lives.