Luxembourg Looks at Increasing Support for Ukraine

On Wednesday 19 March 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, paid a working visit to Kyiv, Ukraine.

In a press release, the Directorate of Defence confirmed that Ukrainian’s Minister of Defence, Rustem Umerov, invited Minister Backes and the Chief of Staff of the Luxembourg Army General Steve Thull, to Kyiv.

During a bilateral meeting with Minister Umerov, Minister Backes was briefed on the latest developments on the battlefield and Ukrainian priorities in terms of military support. Minister Backes reiterated Luxembourg's unwavering support for Ukraine, saying: "European security and defence begin in Ukraine. With this in mind, I have already developed avenues for increasing Luxembourg's defence effort, which include additional support for Ukraine."

The Defence Ministers discussed the digital transformation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the impact of the IT Coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg. Regarding the Drone Coalition, Minister Backes announced the strengthening of Luxembourg's contribution.

Moreover, Minister Backes met with three of Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Ministers, namely Sergiy Boyev, Kateryna Chernohorenko and Valerii Churkin. She also visited Ukrainian companies, together with Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries, Anna Gvozdiar, to discuss possible industrial and economic cooperation.

During their trip to Kyiv, Minister Backes and General Thull visited the Maidan of Independence Square to pay tribute to the soldiers killed during the war. The programme also included a visit to the Memorial of the Fallen Soldiers for a wreath-laying ceremony, a memorial to the women and men of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who lost their lives in the struggle for Ukrainian independence and a tour of an exhibition on the current war in Ukraine at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine during World War II.

HOM