At today’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in Ramstein, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has confirmed that Germany will continue its support for Ukraine even after the federal elections in February.

“Ukraine can count on Germany, regardless of the outcome of the election on February 23”, Pistorius said.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Pistorius highlighted Germany’s contribution to protecting the largest logistics hub supporting Ukraine. “In the coming weeks, we will deploy two Patriot missile units and a total of 200 soldiers to Poland”, he announced. The Bundeswehr soldiers are expected to remain in Poland for six months as part of a NATO mission.

While Pistorius did not unveil a large-scale aid package for Ukraine, he pledged to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with three additional IRIS-T SLM and SLS air defence systems, along with 13 more Gepard tanks.

He also intends to supply additional missiles for the IRIS-T systems in the near future. These missiles are part of ongoing production and were originally allocated for the German Bundeswehr.

Contact Group to continue under Trump Presidency

Another key topic at the meeting was the impending Trump presidency in the United States. Pistorius emphasised the importance of continuing the Ukraine Contact Group meetings in Ramstein under Trump’s leadership.

But whether these meetings will actually persist, remains uncertain. However, should the new U.S. administration choose to discontinue the format, “it will need to continue in another form”, Pistorius asserted.

Zelenskyy places hope in Trump Presidency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his expectations for the incoming U.S. President, who is set to take office on January 20.

In light of the leadership transition, Zelenskyy also called for strengthened cooperation. “With Trump’s inauguration on January 20, we enter a period where we must work more closely together and achieve better results as a team”, he said during today’s Ukraine Contact Group meeting.

Speaking on a podcast with Russian-American host Lex Fridman earlier this week, Zelenskyy described Trump as a pivotal figure in the effort to stop Putin.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, former Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development and president of the Kyiv School of Economics, told Euronews he believed there will be a serious effort by the Trump administration to get a peace deal without selling out Ukraine. “The aid will continue as a part of strengthening leverage over Putin and enforcement of the deal”, he predicted.

According to Mylovanov, the EU and Germany will at the same time have to step up after Trump assumes office: “Trump has made it clear that Ukraine is the EU’s problem and Germany is the key power in the EU no matter how the local politics looks at the moment.”

US private forecaster AccuWeather said on Wednesday that estimated damage and economic loss from the California wildfire, already one of the worst in history, is over $50 billion at a preliminary level.

A 23-year-old medical student who was missing in a remote Australian mountain range for two weeks has been located.

Hadi Nazari from Melbourne went missing on Dec. 26, 2024, when he separated from two hiking companions to take photos in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales state, the Associated Press reports. 

He survived on two muesli bars, foraged berries and creek water, police said on Wednesday.

His rescue came after he approached a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, telling them he was lost and thirsty, Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

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“This is the fourteenth day we’ve been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible,” Broadfoot said, according to Reuters, adding that Nazari was in “really good spirits.”

The hiker had traveled more than six miles across steep and densely wooded terrain from where he was last seen. More than 300 people had searched for him in the national park that is home to the 7,310-foot Mount Kosciuszko. 

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Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old medical student from Melbourne, can be seen hugging friends before being taken for medical evaluation after being rescued on Jan. 8, 2025. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)

Nazari was reunited with his two hiking friends on Wednesday before he was flown to a hospital for a medical assessment, Broadfoot said. Video showed them in a deep embrace prior to his departure.

Weather conditions are mild during the current Southern Hemisphere summer.

Hadi Nazari, 23, can be seen surrounded by rescue crews after spending two weeks lost on a remote Australian mountain range. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)

Searchers had been optimistic that Nazari would be found alive. He was an experienced hiker equipped with a tent. Searchers had found his campfire, camera and hiking poles in recent days, suggesting that he was continuing to walk.

Ambulance Insp. Adam Mower said Nazari only needed treatment for dehydration.

“He’s in remarkable condition for a person who’s been missing for so long,” Mower said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.