As the peace process struggles on and air strikes continue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government is preparing for two important gatherings this week -- a meeting of the so-called Ramstein Group followed by a Coalition of the Willing session, both coming as Russia shows no signs of compromise to end the war.
"There will be a Ramstein meeting -- and it must deliver results," Zelenskyy said in his November 15 nightly video address, referring the Ukraine Defense Contact Group gathering in Brussels set for November 17.
"This will send a strong signal -- a signal to Russia that Ukraine will not be left without support," Zelenskyy added.
Informally known as the Ramstein Group, the effort coordinates military support for Ukraine among Western allies. The upcoming meeting will be led by the defense ministers of Germany and Britain.
The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv's priorities are to bolster the country's air defenses, including the acquisition of additional Patriot missiles and systems and National Advanced Antiaircraft Missile Systems (NASAMS).
"The Russian ballistic missile threat remains very serious, and we have intelligence indicating that new strikes are being prepared," Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has been struggling to defend its cities from Russia's jet-propelled drones capable of flying nearly twice as fast as older models and has sought speedier delivery of more sophisticated Western defensive weapons.
Coalition Meeting 'Could Be Historic'
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is also preparing for a gathering in Berlin of the Coalition of the Willing, calling it "an important meeting that could be historic."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will lead the gathering of the coalition, an informal grouping formed in early 2025 by countries pledging to aid Kyiv and potentially participate in a multinational peace force should a cease-fire be reached.
Merz said that more than 20 heads of state and government are expected. "Our goal is to achieve two things: first, to secure funding for Ukraine's defense for 2027 and, second, to reach a unified position regarding upcoming peace talks."
Zelenskyy said that "we have a chance to establish a truly strong and united European position for the negotiations."
"We are also preparing a review of the work of the existing coalitions supporting Ukraine -- which ones are truly fulfilling their tasks and which ones remain empty shells, to be honest. We will work to give them substance."
The Coalition on November 9 launched its first military exercise aimed at supporting the potential postwar era in Ukraine.
Nearly 3,000 troops from 11 countries are involved in the maneuvers designed to test ways of sustaining the peace after a cease-fire to end the war is successfully negotiated.
The exercise, led by France and Britain, is taking place in Poland, in airspace above Romania, and in the western Black Sea and is due to run until November 22.
Moscow sharply criticized the exercise, accusing the grouping of preparing for war with Russia.
Russia, Ukraine Continue Attacks
On the ground, Russia and Ukraine continued to trade air attacks, days after a flurry of diplomatic activity mediated by the US yielded no breakthrough in efforts to bring peace closer.
Zelenskyy said on X that Russian forces attacked at least nine regions on November 15, targeting energy, civilian, and railway infrastructure in some of them and injuring at least 16 people.
Also on the ground, Britain's Prince Harry met with soldiers wounded in action during a previously unannounced two-day visit to Ukraine, his fourth trip to the country since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion.
"You're going to win the war and then you're going to be set up for success," he told a conference for medics organized by Superhumans, a specialist clinic for those injured in war.
He took part in events on November 14-15 in the western city of Lviv. His comments were only reportable on November 15 after he had left Ukraine for security reasons.
