Minister for Defence travels to Brussels for three meetings

At the meeting on 15 October, the NATO defence ministers are expected to follow up on the decisions made at the Summit held in The Hague in the summer, in particular those concerning the new capability targets and the Allies’ new defence spending commitments. Continued support to Ukraine will also be on the agenda.

In connection with the NATO defence ministers meeting, Mr Jonson will attend a meeting held within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG). The UDCG, also known as the Ramstein Group, is a coalition of nearly 60 countries and organisations that meet regularly to coordinate international military support to Ukraine.

Later the same day, Mr Jonson will join his fellow EU defence ministers at an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) to discuss EU defence readiness and the implementation of the EU’s White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030. The focus is expected to be on the road map that the EU’s heads of state and government have tasked the European Commission and the High Representative with producing to guide the work going forwards. Discussions will likely also address the ongoing efforts to close critical capability gaps and the EU’s support to Ukraine within the framework of the white paper. The meeting of EU defence ministers will be led by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.