Europe · Wednesday, 9 September 2026
Rutte at Ramstein meeting: delays in weapons deliveries to Ukraine cost lives
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte chaired the Ramstein-format Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting on 8 September, urging every partner to step up defence support and saying "delays cost human lives". Rutte noted that Ukrainian civilian casualties are now the highest recorded since May 2022. Ukraine submitted an urgent list of air and missile defence needs ahead of the meeting, which opened with remarks from German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara.