BELFAST — Today’s round of Ukraine Defense Contract Group talks held at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, will see over 50 military delegations from the US and Europe focus predominately on supporting Ukraine air defense capabilities, just a week after leaked Pentagon papers suggested Kyiv’s air defense missile stockpiles could run out in May.

“Ukraine urgently needs our help to shield its citizens and infrastructure from Russia’s missile threat,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the start of the meeting.

Air defenses, ammunition and “enablers” will be the three main discussion topics for the Contact Group, he added.

Austin confirmed that the national security leak has been discussed with “allies and partners,” but that despite potential political drama related to the revelations, the nations of the Ukraine Contact Group were demonstrating solidarity and a commitment “to reject efforts to divide us.”

After discovery of the leak, the FBI arrested suspect Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He is accused of sharing classified intelligence documents on the social media platform Discord, which include sensitive information relating to the war in Ukraine and supposed air defense munition stockpile problems.

The supply of air defense systems to Ukraine already includes the US, Germany and the Netherlands providing Patriot, France and Italy agreeing to send a SAMP/T-MAMBA system, and Norway and Canada gifting National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).

The leaked documents purportedly claim, however, that vast amounts of Russian made BUK and S-300 air defense munitions — the backbone of Ukraine’s air defense network — have been expended by Ukraine, leaving it potentially vulnerable to Russia securing air superiority, according to a NBC News report. Per that report, a chart from one of the leaked documents showed that supplies of BUK SA-11 missiles would be “completely depleted” by mid-April, followed by S-300 munitions and the shorter-range SA-8 both running out in May.

Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, previously told reporters that he would not “speculate” on any impact on the battlefield that the leaks might have, but that the “Ukrainians have demonstrated their capability and competence in this war.”

Austin did not talk this morning about the current state of Ukraine air defense weapon stocks or the potential impact the leaks could have on changing the course of the war, but said the country is “still standing strong” and that the common efforts of the Contact Group had demonstrated “just how badly the Kremlin has calculated.”

He also shared that over the “past few months” the Contact Group had provided equipment and training to support an additional nine armored brigades in Ukraine.

To date, the Contract Group has provided $55 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, $35 billion of which has been issued by the DoD.

The Biden administration approved a 36th drawdown of military assistance on Wednesday, valued at $325 million. The latest military package for Kyiv includes supplies of ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds and AT-4 anti-armor weapon systems.

“As we come together again at Ramstein, the world hears our voices loud and clear,” said Austin. “The Ukrainian military stands tall with capability and courage. After more than a year of Russian aggression and deceit this Contact Group is as united as ever and more global than ever in our support of the forces of freedom in Ukraine.”

In a social media post Ukraine defense minster Oleksii Reznikov said that the Ramstein ”agenda” would cover analysis of “our strategy for 2023,” and the needs of the Ukraine armed forces.

Ashley Roque in Washington contributed to this report. 

breakingdefense.com/