Ramstein format will remain unchanged in the near future - Austin

At this stage , the format of the Ramstein meetings  will remain unchanged. However,  there will be a certain transformation in the future. This was stated by the head of the US Department of Defense Lloyd Austin during a briefing following the meeting of the contact group in the Ramstein-20 format, UNN reports.

When asked whether there is a plan to reformat the Ramstein meetings in some way, Austin replied: "I think that the meeting in this format has actually been very effective. This is the 20th meeting. Each meeting is attended by a huge number of participants. This is a very important forum for participants to express their commitment to Ukraine. The focus here is on Ukraine. We are looking at the long-term perspective of providing assistance to Ukraine so that its capacities do not decrease, but instead increase." 

He noted that the countries that agreed to lead such meetings and eventually the coalition of capabilities understand how important it is to deter such aggression not only today but also in the future. 

"Of course there will be some transformation in the future, I'm sure, but at this stage, this is the format for successfully delivering what it (Ukraine - ed.) needs, and I think it will remain the same for the foreseeable future," Austin said. 

Earlier, Austin statedthat the Ukraine Defense Contact Group continues to move forward at full speed to provide Ukraine with the capabilities it needs.