Defence ministers from five European countries discuss support for Ukraine amid Trump's election

The defence ministers of five major European countries have called for continued support for Ukraine amidst concerns about the potential influence of US President-elect Donald Trump. Source: Politico, as reported by European Pravda Details: Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius hosted his counterparts from France, Italy, Poland and the UK in Berlin on Monday, 25 November.

The meeting took place in a new format, which UK Defence Secretary John Healy called E5.

All five ministers emphasised the need for continued military assistance to Ukraine, with Healey even calling for "doubling" support for Kyiv. "The five of us want to keep the [Ukraine Defence Contact Group] alive," Pistorius said, referring to the US-led Ramstein format, which organises military assistance for Kyiv. The ministers did not directly mention Donald Trump, but his presence was felt as European countries are expected to seek to maintain their support for him.

"Europe will have to act ever more coordinated with overarching goals to be a good partner for the US," Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak noted.

The ministers also agreed that it is not about how much NATO countries spend on weapons and ammunition but how they spend it. "Regardless of the [defence] budget rise to 2, 2.5 or 3 percent, we need to close the capabilities gaps, this is the most important thing," Pistorius told reporters. The German minister pointed out that meeting NATO requirements for forces and capabilities will require increased spending. "We'll probably talk about more than 2 percent, everyone knows that," he added.

Background: 

• Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, in an interview with European Pravda, stated that Europe must be tough on US President-elect Donald Trump if it wants to help Ukraine.
• The media reported that Europe is calling on the Biden administration to strengthen US support for Ukraine to bolster Kyiv's position as much as possible before Donald Trump's inauguration in January.

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