Germany Agrees To Deliver 5 More Patriots To Ukraine, Which Will Take US Years To Replace

In a major breakthrough and short-term diplomatic ‘win’ for the Zelensky government, Germany and the United States have agreed to supply Ukraine with five more Patriot air defense systems, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Monday.

The defense chief revealed the move at the 29th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, describing that the deal was finalized during his recent visit to Washington, where he met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. ”We will coordinate closely in the coming days to determine how best to achieve this,” Pistorius confirmed.

He additionally affirmed that Germany will also provide air defense ammunition and fund Ukrainian-made long-range drones.

This is despite German government officials previously expressing alarm that the country’s remaining stocks were too low to support additional transfer; however Pistorious sought to address this elephant in the room by announcing the US has agreed to supply Germany with replacement systems originally ordered by Switzerland. Delivery is likely years away though.

“Delivery of the systems, worth billions of euros, to Switzerland was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028,” EuroNews emphasizes.

The German government has already sent three of its dozen Patriot batteries to Ukraine. Two more are currently stationed in Poland, and others are used for NATO operations and training. Germany currently only has six, Pistorius disclosed.

The announcement comes as Russia intensifies its long-range missile attacks on Ukraine, increasingly using ballistic missiles, which ironically is a threat that only the Patriot system is capable of effectively intercepting.

In the early hours of Monday, Russian strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, killing one person and injuring at least six others, according to local officials.

Other European countries, are also meanwhile digging deep to provide more support for Ukraine – amid reports that Washington has stepped back compared to the opening years of the war.

“As well as the contribution to the Patriots, Brekelmans said the Netherlands would also provide more missiles for Ukraine’s small operational fleet of F-16 fighter jets, more radars and counter-drone technology,” Newsweek details. “The Netherlands was one of four countries that pledged to deliver fourth-generation Western jets to Kyiv.”