Zelensky says no alternative to Ramstein format

He said this at a joint press conference with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar in Kyiv on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As for the alternative to Ramstein, no one expects any alternative. This will be an additional tool. That is, Ramstein will work. This is important to us. More than 50 countries. And there are not only NATO countries there. We cannot look for any alternative to such a broad representation," Zelensky said.

According to Zelensky, it is too early to say what NATO member states and the Secretary General are proposing. "But it seems to me that this is an additional powerful tool," he said.

"There is one very important mechanism there: the money allocated by certain states to support Ukraine's defense capability should reach Ukraine. We'll see what the result will be, but I think it's important," Zelensky said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 27 that he expected NATO leaders to agree that NATO will lead the coordination of security assistance and training for Ukraine with a new NATO command in Wiesbaden to coordinate training and the provision of security assistance to Ukraine.

Earlier media reports said that the United States and other Western countries were discussing moving the Ukraine Defense Contact Group into NATO's control.