(L-R) Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Minister of Defence; Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence; Margarita Robles, Spain's Minister of Defence; Hanno Pevkur, Estonia's Minister of Defence;
Credit: MAE
The Directorate of Defence has reported that Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, participated in the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Ramstein, Germany on Friday 6 September 2024, at the invitation of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Minister Backes was accompanied by General Steve Thull, Luxembourg's Chief of Defence.
The UDCG meets regularly to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine among the approximately 50 participating states, communicate priorities for equipment needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and provide an update on the combat situation.
The Directorate of Defence confirmed that, since the last UDCG meeting, Luxembourg has provided the following military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
- 4,500,000 rounds of ammunition for 7.62 mm machine guns;
- 136,000 rounds of 12.7 x 99 mm ammunition;
- 275 night vision goggles;
- twelve Primoco observation drones, as part of a Benelux cooperation.
To date, equipment or services worth €73.5 million have been donated or contracted in 2024.
On the sidelines of the UDCG, the Minister of Defence of Spain, Margarita Robles, signed a declaration of intent to join the IT Coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg. The IT Coalition is one of eight capability coalitions formed within the framework of the UDCG. With the accession of Spain, fourteen nations are now part of the IT Coalition.
To date, deliveries worth €7.1 million have been made and acquisitions totalling €50 million are being made to assist Ukraine in the field of information and communication technologies. Luxembourg, as lead nation, has contributed a total of €17.5 million to the IT Coalition.
