The latest “Ramstein” meeting on 15 October 2025 was notable for several reasons. For the first time, the Ukraine–NATO Council and the Ramstein meeting took place on the same day at NATO headquarters in Brussels, highlighting the highest level of Ukraine’s integration with Western defense structures. Additionally, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset attended the meeting.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the meeting covered successful deep strikes into Russian territory, including attacks on oil refineries and fuel infrastructure, RBC reports. 

“We discussed all types of long-range missiles with Hegset. But I believe specific names and dates will be announced by the presidents of Ukraine, the US, or other leaders involved in the deliveries,” Shmyhal said.

The US Department of Defense has reported that it has already developed a plan to sell or transfer Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine if President Trump gives the “green light," according to the New York Times. 

However, the bold new language from the Americans may or may not signify any change in underlying policy for the Trump administration, which again announced no new military support of its own.

Here are more crucial takeaways from the Ramstein meeting and official comments made on the sidelines.

Stronger rhetoric from the US

The biggest difference from previous meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group could be seen in Washington’s change of rhetoric toward Russia. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t bother to attend the last few meetings, but on 15 October, he showed up with words of pressure for Moscow. 

“If there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression,” Hegseth said, albeit without specifying what those costs would be. 

He added the US is “clear-eyed about the fact that the most effective deterrents to Russian aggression are number one: a lethal, capable and European-led NATO, and number two: a combat credible Ukrainian military.”

“If we must take this step, the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do," Hegseth stressed. 

His statements sent another signal that US President Donald Trump, who once seemed more amenable to working with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on negotiating an end to the fighting, has appeared to grow increasingly sour on Russia. 

But with no specific changes in policy or aid announced, it’s unclear if this isn’t more of a change of mood than something more substantial. 

Trump said he is considering providing Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles to put more pressure on Putin. In comments to the press, Trump said he will give the missiles to Ukraine "if this war is not going to get settled."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with Trump on 17 October, most likely to discuss the Tomahawks. 

But drones’ limited payloads compared to missiles make it harder to do the kind of damage that’s very costly and difficult to repair. 

More countries join PURL, but amount thus far falls short of expectations

In his comments, Hegseth urged NATO allies to increase spending on the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, which replaced direct American arms donations to Ukraine and now requires allies to pay for them.

Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal also emphasized the full implementation of PURL, saying “we rely on ongoing coordination and funding to ensure timely deliveries.” 

In detailing Ukraine’s needs from the program, Shmyhal prioritized air defense, interceptors, and long-range artillery munitions. He underlined how interceptors are a “pillar” of the meeting.

Russia’s mass drone and missile strikes against civilian infrastructure are constantly growing in scope, making Ukraine especially vulnerable as it heads into the winter season. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte bore on this point, saying “many air defence systems have already been supplied to Ukraine; now there are technologies that only the US can supply, such as interceptors for Patriot systems.” 

Rutte said that the alliance has already managed to get “16-17 countries” to join the PURL initiative, with a total of 19 countries pledging aid, whether through PURL or outside of it, via bilateral agreements. He added that $2 billion has been contributed for the program thus far.  

According to Shmyhal, PURL’s needs next year will range from $12 to $20 billion.

Sweden, Estonia, and Finland pledged contributions. But bigger powers such as France and Britain have not made similar announcements.

Shmyhal added that Ukraine will need $120 billion in overall defense spending in 2026, asking Western partners to cover half of that amount. 

The optimal way for European countries to provide military aid to Ukraine could be to allocate 0.25% of their GDP each, or to offer a loan secured by Russia's frozen assets, Shmyhal said. 

Allies step into the spotlight, revealing the weapons they’re sending to Kyiv 

The day of the meeting was also filled with announcements from individual allies detailing the kind of aid they were going to provide. 

Germany equips Ukraine with cutting-edge air defenses 

Germany announced a financial support package that totals over 2 billion euros, which includes air defense systems, including Patriot interceptors, radar complexes and artillery systems with precision munitions, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Berlin also plans to supply missiles and ammunition, two more IRIS-T air defense systems, with a stock of guided missiles, portable anti-air systems, anti-tank weapons, communications equipment and small arms. Pistorius added that Germany would also launch a project to modernize weapons already delivered to Ukraine.

A memorandum of cooperation between Ukraine’s and Germany’s defense industries is in the works. 

Next-gen drones under Build With Ukraine initiative

The Netherlands will provide 90 million euros in aid for Ukraine to produce reconnaissance and attack drones, Evropeiska Pravda reported on 15 October, citing Dutch Defense Minister Reuben Brekelmans. This aid package will be separate from the 200 million euros to bolster Ukraine’s anti-drone defense announced by the Netherlands several days ago.

During his visit to Kyiv, the Dutch defense minister also signed a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, for the joint production of deep strike drones as part of the Build With Ukraine initiative, which enables Ukraine to produce arms in other countries. Brekelmans also announced plans to create a “Dutch defense cluster” in the Ukrainian capital.

Maritime assets, fuel, and more

Denmark pledged total military aid of 1.1 billion kroner ($171 million) on 15 October. According to the Danish defense ministry's statement, this includes 400 million kroner ($62 million) for training and associated equipment. The Danish package will also pay for maritime assets, tank maintenance, and fuel. 

According to the announcement, total Danish support, both provided and planned from 2022 through 2028 is expected to total about $10 billion.

Sweden signals sending advanced radar to bolster Ukraine's air power

Speaking before the NATO ministers' summit, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told the media that Stockholm is "ready to do more," to aid Ukraine through PURL and the fighter jet coalition, which supplies modern Western warplanes to Kyiv. Jonson said Sweden is allocating $264 million for this purpose.   

He said that the fighter jet coalition partners are asking Sweden to supply radar reconnaissance and early warning aircraft to the Ukrainians, and that Stockholm has “not ruled out” supplying Ukraine with its Gripen multi-role fighters as well.

The UK and Ukraine team up on interceptor drones

Defense Secretary John Healey pointed out that Britain has supplied more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine in the past six months and invested 600 million pounds this year to accelerate drone delivery for the Ukrainian armed forces. 

The UK is also jointly developing interceptor drones with Ukraine, as the latter scales up its use of these weapons to destroy Russia's attack drones targeting the country's civilian infrastructure. 

Estonia strengthens Ukraine with cash for PURL 

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country's contribution to PURL will total $12 million, as well as sending "drones worth tens of millions."

Helsinki pledges support for Kyiv with American arms

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen on 15 October said his country would participate in buying American weapons for Ukraine, saying Finland considers it “crucial that Ukraine receives critical weapons from the US.” However, he did not disclose how much Finland would provide.