German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced today in London that Ukraine will be receiving Patriot missile defense systems in the coming weeks, as the US and NATO partners work to hammer out a deal to get Kyiv much-needed air defense.
“At this hour, the defense ministries are discussing the details of how we can ensure the appropriate delivery of Patriot[s] to Ukraine in a short time. This could take weeks. The negotiations are very specific, the American side is ready to do this, but we do not have a result yet,” Merz told Ukrinform.
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On Monday, Trump’s “big announcement“ included potential new sanctions in the form of tariffs for Russia and its trading partners, as well as the willingness to provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of Patriot systems, following mounting pressure and ever-increasing Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Zelensky and Ukraine’s NATO allies had been pressuring Trump for months to improve air defense for Ukraine, and Trump on Monday finally agreed on the condition that Europe must pay for the Patriots, priced at over $1 billion per system.
Europe now has to decide both how they will pay for these systems and who will provide Ukraine with their existing systems while they await a replacement system from the US.
Last weekend, German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, had commented that Germany would not be able to provide any more of its Patriots to Ukraine, and would not provide long range strike capabilities to Ukraine, such as its Taurus missile system.
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“We only have six left in Germany. That’s really too few, especially considering the NATO capability goals we have to meet. We definitely can’t give any more away,” Pistorius said.
France, Italy, and the Czech Republic also declined to participate in the new program, with France arguing that it was better suited to support Ukraine from a defense industrial role, and the Czechs focusing on efforts to purchase ammunition.
Then on Monday, Merz declared that Germany would play a “decisive role“ in a new deal struck between NATO and the United States to supply Ukraine with weapons to fight Russia’s invasion.
Today’s joint press conference may demonstrate that Europe is moving closer to resolving the important questions of financing and sourcing Patriots.
“The US is ready to provide Ukraine with weapons that will be financed by European partners. Germany wants to make a significant contribution to this. We need to discuss the details with our partners as soon as possible,” Merz said.
The German Chancellor emphasized that they are still waiting for details from the US on how Germany’s Patriot systems will be replaced.
“Above all, we need clarity on how the US will replace the weapons systems transferred by Europe... Ultimately, we must also maintain our own defense capabilities,” the German Prime Minister emphasized.
United24 reported today that Switzerland, which had ordered five Patriot systems from the US in 2022, will have to wait as their systems are being diverted to Ukraine.
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