Ukraine’s key allies from across the globe have announced €21 billion in new military support at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) held in NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday. 

The group, once exclusively led by the US but now led by Germany and the UK, comprises 51 nations and partners. 

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says today’s announcement, including Germany’s pledge of €11 billion until 2029, is a record boost in military funding for Ukraine. 

The €21 billion also includes the UK’s £4.5bn commitment for this year, which the country’s defence secretary John Healey described as its highest contribution yet.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov warned Russia is “ramping up [military] production”, and said Europe was now “taking the lead in security assistance for which we are thankful to the UK and Europe”. 

US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth participated online, and Umerov told reporters the US was continuing its military assistance to his country. 

The lack of air defence capabilities remains a huge problem for Ukraine, as Russia has sent over 10,000 glide bombs into Ukraine since March, and 100 attack drones every day. 

“Air defence is a problem all over the world – we are doing as much as we can as fast as we can,” said Pistorius.