Spain announces military aid to Ukraine at Ramstein meeting.

On September 19, 2023, Spain's acting Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, announced a new package of aid to Ukraine. The announcement was made during the fifteenth meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base.
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Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Ramstein meeting (Picture source: Twitter account of Spanish MoD )

The aid package will include new armored troop carriers, inflatable command boats, as well as various types of missile launchers, surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles, specialized trucks for system management, and ambulances.

The meeting, initiated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, took place on Tuesday at the German Ramstein Air Base. For the first time, Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, participated. No further details about the new aid package were disclosed in the meeting notes. The main novelty compared to previous shipments is the inclusion of boats.

The initial working session focused on analyzing the current situation on the ground, providing data that member countries will use to more effectively address the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and plan future aid shipments more efficiently.

Additionally, to maintain the operational capacity of the Role 2+ deployable hospital transferred in August, which provides crucial services, Robles announced the shipment last Sunday of a significant quantity of surgical and medical supplies.

Robles also confirmed that Spain will double the number of Ukrainian troops receiving training this year, from the initially committed 2,000 to 4,000, under the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine. Recently, the Spanish Army's Field Artillery Command has joined the mission, designated to train Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in tasks related to indirect fire control and advanced observation.

The military capabilities provided to Ukrainian forces through the European Mission on national territory have covered multiple areas, overseen by the Spanish Army, Navy, and Air and Space Force. These include basic and specialized training in areas such as demining, counter-IEDs, tactical casualty care, engineering training, non-commissioned officers, operational planning, forest and urban combat, geospatial and cyber defense technicians, anti-aircraft missile crews, and tank crews.