Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine’s western allies “not to drop the ball” and to continue to provide long-term military support to his embattled country, once Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Speaking at a summit in Germany, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Trump’s imminent second presidency was likely to bring dramatic changes. “It’s clear that a new chapter starts for Europe and the entire world just 11 days from now,” the Ukrainian president said.
“We have to cooperate even more, rely on each other even more, and achieve greater results together,” he added, sitting alongside the outgoing US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, and the German defence minister, Boris Pistorius.
Pulling the plug on military support “will only invite more aggression, chaos and war,” Zelenskyy warned. “We’ve come such a long way that it would honestly be crazy to drop the ball now and not keep building on the defence coalitions we’ve created.”
He continued: “No matter what’s going on in the world, everyone wants to feel sure that their country will not just be erased off the map.”
Austin praised Zelenskyy as a “leader who has made history” and announced a $500m US assistance package. It includes additional air defence missiles, more ammunition and other equipment to support Ukraine’s small fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
The US was determined to stop Moscow from defeating Kyiv, Austin suggested. “The stakes are still enormous – for all of our security. If Putin swallows Ukraine, his appetite will only grow,” he said, noting that this would lead to further international “land grabs”.
It seems unlikely, however, that Trump shares this analysis. He has promised to end the war in “24 hours” and has appointed a special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Kellogg this week postponed a visit to Kyiv until after Trump’s 20 January inauguration.
Vladimir Putin, however, has shown little interest in peace negotiations, at a time when Russian troops are advancing in the east. The Russian president’s apparent calculation is that a Trump White House will swiftly end US military assistance to Zelenskyy, leading to more Russian gains.
Thursday’s Ukraine defence contact group meeting – including 57 countries and all 32 Nato members – was held at Ramstein airbase. It is likely to be the last in the current format. Zelenskyy is due in Italy on Friday for talks with the country’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a key partner.
Zelenskyy described Ukraine’s five-month offensive inside Russia’s Kursk region as “one of our biggest wins”. On Sunday, Ukrainian troops began a mini-offensive. North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian soldiers had suffered 4,000 casualties, he claimed, since joining the battle last December.
Ukraine’s president also highlighted bilateral security agreements Kyiv has signed with individual countries and called on his partners to invest in Ukraine’s defence industry, including in developing drone capabilities.
Britain and Latvia announced that they and a group of European countries would supply Ukraine with 30,000 FPV drones after placing £45m of contracts with manufacturers. Funding for the initiative, part of a drone capability coalition, comes from the two nations plus Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Ukraine is making heavy use of small cheap FPV drones on the battlefield as an alternative to its lack of a conventional air force, and late last year its military said it had supplied 1.1m to the frontline during 2024.
John Healey, the defence secretary, said the Ramstein meeting “sends a clear message to Putin about the international community’s unwavering support for Ukraine”. He reiterated that the UK would spend £3bn a year on military aid for Ukraine for as long as Russian aggression continues.
In recent months the Kremlin has stepped up its bombardment of Ukrainian civilian areas. On Wednesday, 13 people were killed and 113 injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. Two Russian glide bombs hit a crowded street in the middle of the afternoon. Bodies were strewn next to a tram stop.
Meanwhile, Slovakia’s pro-Russian government said it would take tough reciprocal measures against Ukraine if the problem with halted gas transit through the country was not solved. Ukraine ended all Russian gas transit on 1 January.
Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, has accused Kyiv of damaging Slovakia’s interests. He has threatened to retaliate by cutting emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine and reducing aid for refugees.
Source: The Guardian