Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg Minister of Defence;
Credit: MAE
On Tuesday 16 December 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, took part in the 32nd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which took place by videoconference under the joint chairmanship of Germany’s Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey.
The Luxembourg Minister of Defence reported that together with Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Denys Shmyhal, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, defence ministers from around 50 partner countries supporting Ukraine exchanged views on the situation on the battlefield, priorities regarding the equipment needs of the Ukrainian armed forces, military support for Ukraine and the latest developments in efforts to achieve a lasting peace.
In her intervention, Minister Backes informed her counterparts of Luxembourg’s recent additional contribution of €15 million to the “PURL” (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, bringing Luxembourg’s total contribution to this mechanism to €30 million. Overall, Luxembourg’s military support for Ukraine in 2025 amounts to €155 million.
Minister Backes stated: “Luxembourg welcomes the efforts currently under way to achieve a just and lasting peace, underpinned by robust security commitments. In 2026, Luxembourg’s Defence has planned at least €100 million in military support for Ukraine.”
