It’s published
“We’ll have to send more weapons to Ukraine. Defensive weapons, they have to protect themselves,” US President Donald Trump said on Monday, speaking of Ukraine’s defense.
But when he said “we,” he didn’t mean America alone.
Media reports say Trump has reportedly suggested that Germany would sell one of the Patriot batteries to Ukraine. The costs could reportedly be split between the US and Europe.
Ukraine has called on allies to support their allies’ air defenses by supplying interceptor missiles associated with “life-saving” patriot systems.
“We are strongly dependent on our partners to fully realize what we agreed to. Air defense remains our top priority for protecting lives,” Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky said on Monday after another Russian drone and missile attack.
Delay in supply from the US
The Pentagon said on July 2 that military aid to Ukraine was suspended as the Department of Defense reviewed the delivery of foreign aid on suspicion of low stockpiling.
A few days later, on July 7, the Pentagon said it was intended to help Ukraine protect itself while the US works towards “lasting peace,” and said the cargo would update shipments.
According to a German government spokesman, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz called on Trump on July 4, asking the US president to continue supplies for Ukraine, particularly the Patriot Interceptor missiles.
Mertz also discussed its country’s offer to buy patriots air defense systems for Ukraine, and a spokesman added that Berlin belongs to “intensive consultations” to buy patriots for Ukraine to counter some of Russia’s heaviest attacks since the start of the Moscow full-scale infringement in 2022.
“There are many different ways to bridge this patriot gap,” the spokesperson told journalists, adding that one option being considered is to purchase a Patriot missile battery in the United States and then send it to Kiev.
Can Germany supply patriots to Ukraine?
Since the start of the war, Germany has already sent three US-made systems to Ukraine from the military to Ukraine, leaving nine patriots in Berlin.
Ukraine currently has six operational patriot systems. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has launched an initiative to ensure more systems at the Ramstein Coalition, and will discuss production capacity and delivery schedules later this month.
Kyiv has repeatedly offered to buy Patriots through their European partners, as direct purchases from the US are not a viable option.
New orders are estimated to take years to meet, and only after the Pentagon completes its own order, as the Department of Defense is a priority customer.
Ukraine will not be here this time as Russia has stepped up its air attacks on the country that will begin in April.
One recent attack released over 500 drones and missiles overnight, revealing a key gap in Ukraine’s air defense despite high interception rates.
Pistorius came to the idea of bypassing long industrial delivery times and purchasing a patriot system that could be released to arrive quickly in Ukraine.
Patriots are one of the few air defense systems in the world, allowing them to ensure they can fire incoming ballistic missiles.
Globally, approximately 180 of these systems are thought to be in operation, as reported by the London Institute for International Strategic Studies.
About a third belongs to the United States, with many deployed in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Europe has around 40 patriot systems, including those deployed in Ukraine.
