Germany Considers Changes To Ukraine's Allied Format If US Withdraws In Trump's Era

JAKARTA - German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said routine gatherings of allies aimed at accelerating and synchronizing arms shipments to Ukraine should be carried out under US leadership, taking into account the new Trump administration.

"And if those in the United States now decide not to maintain this format any longer, then we have to make our own decisions," Pistorius said.

According to him, it is too early to speculate on what might have happened at the format after US President-elect Donald Trump took office on January 20.

Pistorius called him "shocked" by Trump's refusal to rule out the use of military or economic action to pursue Greenland's acquisition, but is optimistic that the presidential election's comments will not affect US policy at this time.

"I don't know exactly what his goal is, but allies and alliances are formed to remain that way and otherwise, they will only be a loose alliance and not an ally," Pistorius said.

The group, which consists of about 50 allies who usually meet every few months at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was formed in 2022 by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Pistorius said Germany would provide missiles to Ukraine for the IRIS-T system, which was originally aimed at the German army and would comply with the scheduled delivery of the promised system.