ISTANBUL

Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said Wednesday that he discussed preparations for the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting in September with UK Defense Secretary John Healey.

Shmyhal said on the US social media company X that the two coordinated their main positions for the meeting and discussed developing joint production and bilateral projects in the defense industry.

He added that Ukraine expects Britain to play an important role in a new US and NATO mechanism known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).

“I am grateful to our British partners for their strong support,” he said.

The UDCG, also known as the Ramstein format, brings together over 50 countries to coordinate military aid to Ukraine. It was launched in 2022 by the US to coordinate international military assistance for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Last week, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden announced a $500 million military aid package for Ukraine as part of the PURL initiative.

The package, which will include equipment and munitions sourced from the US, marks the second round of funding under the PURL mechanism.