Today at 15:17
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during his visit to Brussels on June 18, he will participate in the opening of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format and discuss key defense and European integration issues with partners, UATV English reports.
“We will be opening the Ramstein meeting. I have already held talks with the NATO Secretary General and with Germany’s defense minister. We are grateful to Germany and all the other defense ministers for what they have prepared for today’s Ramstein meeting. First and foremost, these are issues related to PURL, air defense, Patriot systems, and anti-ballistic missiles. Nine, ten, eleven countries—approximately that number—are currently supporting new PURL packages. God willing, everything will work out and we will receive substantial support from such a significant number of countries,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the president, discussions in Brussels will also focus on the development of a European anti-ballistic defense system.
“Ukraine initiated this direction. To achieve it, we need coalition work with partners, their companies, their national security advisers, and their leaders. Today we are expecting a very important event, when German representatives will be able to share with Ukrainians what we need, and we will share with them what they need in order to take the first step toward a future anti-ballistic system,” he said.
Zelenskyy also confirmed that he would participate in a meeting of the European Council.
“We are very grateful to all European Union countries for opening the first cluster. This is a serious step forward for us. We are not stopping. Our goal is that in the coming weeks and months we will be able to open the remaining five clusters, so that all six clusters are opened and pave the way for our future membership in the European Union,” the president stated.
He emphasized that Ukraine would continue working toward that objective.
Under the EU’s revised accession methodology introduced in 2020, negotiating chapters are grouped into six thematic clusters:
- Fundamentals;
- Internal Market;
- Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth;
- Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity;
- Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion;
- External Relations.
On June 15, Ukraine officially opened the first cluster, Fundamentals, during an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. This is the most important reform block and will remain open until the very end of the accession process, determining the overall pace of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union.
Zelenskyy also stressed that an important development expected on June 18 could become the first step toward creating a future anti-ballistic defense system for Europe.
“Today we should have a very important event, when German representatives will be able to share with Ukrainians what we need, and we will share with them what they need in order to take the first step toward a future anti-ballistic system,” he said.
The president reiterated that Ukraine was the country that originally proposed the concept of a European anti-ballistic system.
“For this, we need coalition work with partners, their companies, their national security advisers, and their leaders,” Zelenskyy added.
Earlier, Ukraine and Germany agreed on priorities ahead of the next Ramstein-format meeting, which is taking place on June 18.
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