Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence;
Credit: MAE
On Wednesday 15 April 2026, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, participated via videoconference in the 34th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), which was held in a hybrid format and co-chaired by Germany’s Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey.
According to Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, defence ministers from more than 50 partner countries, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, assessed the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine during the meeting. The UDCG is also tasked with coordinating military assistance to Ukraine, based on the priority equipment needs of the Ukrainian armed forces, particularly in the areas of air defence, drones and long-range artillery ammunition.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022, Luxembourg has contributed €414 million to military support for Ukraine. For 2026, at least €100 million will be allocated to military aid for Ukraine. Within the UDCG, Luxembourg co-leads, together with Estonia, the IT capability coalition and is also a member of three others: Artillery, Air Force and Drone.
