Ukraine Defence Contact Group to Meet Next Week, Kyiv Says

Ukraine and Germany are preparing for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group next week, after their defence ministers discussed the country’s worsening air threats and the need for continued external support.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara briefed German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on what Kyiv described as Russia’s intensifying air terror. He identified jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles as the main threats.

Khmara said Ukraine is developing its own defence plan and pursuing asymmetric action that is producing results. At the same time, he said the rapid strengthening of protection against Russian strikes remains a priority. The ministers also discussed financing for Ukraine’s defence needs.

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry is auditing resources and human capital across the defence forces. The ministry said financial support from Kyiv’s partners remains critically important to the country’s resilience. Khmara thanked Germany for its significant backing and its leadership in coordinating support from other partners.

The talks also covered closer cooperation between the Ukrainian and German defence industries. The previous Contact Group meeting took place on June 18 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, co-chaired by the United Kingdom and Germany. After that meeting, Pistorius said Ukraine would receive a three-digit number of air-to-air missiles from German stocks and that the two countries would jointly produce ground robotic systems. Ukraine and Germany also signed an agreement on jointly developing an air-defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.