IT Coalition raises nearly €500 million in aid for Ukraine
The IT Coalition Steering Group, established under Estonian and Luxembourg leadership, has attracted almost €500 million in support for Ukraine during its first year of operations, the Estonian Ministry of Defense reports.
The IT Coalition was established in September 2023 during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG or “Ramstein format”) meeting in Ramstein amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. The group is focused on providing support to Ukraine’s Armed Forces and Defense Ministry in the field of IT, communications, and cybersecurity.
According to the Estonian ministry, the coalition’s leadership group met in Luxembourg on 6 December 2024 to review the first year of operations and assess Ukraine’s critical needs for the coming year.
At the meeting, the Coalition outlined future activities, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT) links with Ukrainian Armed Forces capabilities, discussed procurement acceleration, and reviewed developments in Ukraine’s ICT and cyber capabilities.
“Ukraine needs our help in meeting their critical ICT needs. Technological support is an essential part of the modern combat capability package, which we collectively aim to strengthen,” Deputy Secretary General for Defense Policy Tuuli Duneton said at the meeting.
The ministry reports that €102.7 million or $108.6 million worth of ICT assistance has already been delivered to Ukraine through joint coalition efforts. Member states have contributed bilateral ICT aid worth €410 million ($433.6 million), while €72 million ($76.1 million) has been collected for joint procurement initiatives. The Coalition has supported Ukraine’s needs in tactical communications, data center expansion, and cybersecurity assurance this year, the ministry states.
Estonia has contributed €2.5 million to support Ukraine’s mobilization system this year and has committed €5 million to the IT Coalition for 2025, according to the ministry.
Currently, 17 countries are members, including Estonia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Canada is preparing to join, while the United States and France support the coalition’s activities. NATO and EU experts also participate in the coalition’s work.
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