Pentagon's Colby Tells Ramstein-36 Ukraine Contact Group Europe Must Fund and Lead Ukraine's Defense

At the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group ('Ramstein-36') meeting, held virtually on September 8, 2026 and co-chaired by UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius with roughly 50 countries and NATO Secretary General Rutte participating, US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby told the coalition Washington 'cannot predict' when the Russia-Ukraine war will end and that Ukraine's needs will persist 'for months and years,' reiterating that European allies must take primary responsibility for financing and arming Ukraine's conventional defense and warning allies to prepare for a 'protracted war.' Colby pointed to the PURL mechanism — under which European partners pay for US-made weapons shipped to Ukraine, worth over $10 billion annually in American arms sales — as the model going forward rather than direct US funding. Partners pledged fresh contributions including UK PURL funding of £100 million ($135 million), Dutch drone funding of $300 million, Norwegian Patriot funding of $200 million, and contracts for roughly 1,000 additional Patriot interceptor missiles financed via an EU loan; Ukraine's delegation, led by Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, said the missiles would arrive too late for this winter and asked partners to open existing stockpiles instead, citing an €8 billion gap against Ukraine's stated defense needs. The meeting is the first Ramstein-format session since the Pentagon's Europe force-posture review entered its final stretch, with Colby and the top US general in Europe due to hold a decision briefing on US troop levels by September 18.