War in Ukraine: Germany will send an “additional Patriot system” to Kyiv

While American aid remains blocked by Congress in Washington, Germany will send an “additional” Patriot air defense system to Kyiv to protect itself from “the involvement of Russian airstrikes in Ukraine,” the German Defense Ministry said Saturday. According to him, the transfer will begin immediately.

“Russian terror against Ukrainian cities and the country’s infrastructure is causing immeasurable suffering,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in announcing his decision. “This threatens the energy supply of the population and destroys the operational readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces.”

Help arriving at a “critical moment”

The Ukrainian president thanked Germany for the supply. “I am grateful to the Chancellor (German Olaf Scholz) for the decision to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems and missiles” to the existing systems, Vladimir Zelensky wrote on the social network. “This is a real show of support for Ukraine at a critical time for us,” he said, calling on allied countries to “follow this example.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a Saturday phone call with President Zelensky, reaffirmed his “unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in the face of massive and continuous Russian attacks, especially on civilian energy infrastructure,” a German government spokesman said.

According to the press secretary, during the telephone conversation the two leaders also noted that “further efforts by partners are needed” to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. This is the third Patriot system that Berlin has supplied to Kyiv. The German Ministry of Defense clarified that this delivery was made “at the request of the Ukrainian government” and in agreement with their allies.

The announcement comes as the Ukrainian army struggles on the battlefield, hampered by a lack of foreign aid, troops and ammunition. Russia has stepped up air strikes on Ukraine.

On Thursday, Moscow bombed the country’s energy facilities, destroying a power plant in the Kyiv region. Ukraine has begun construction of two American-made reactors at a nuclear power plant in the west of the country. On Thursday, workers at the Khmelnitsky power plant poured the first cubic meter of concrete for the reactors, which will use American technology and fuel. The symbolic act was performed near Ukrainian and American flags fluttering in the wind.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has abandoned its traditionally pacifist position and become the second largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.

Patriot urgently needed

Kyiv has been asking its Western allies for months to provide it with more ammunition and air defense systems. But aid is running out due to political blockages in Washington, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to conserve ammunition. Vladimir Zelensky recently warned that his country will lose the war if expected $60 billion in US aid remains blocked in Congress. Ukraine, in particular, says it needs more of these Patriots, powerful and expensive systems, the first copy of which was delivered to Ukrainians in the spring of 2023.

In addition to the Patriots, Berlin supplied a wide range of other weapons, from artillery to armored fighting vehicles. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been criticized in recent months for refusing to authorize the delivery of long-range Taurus missiles. Germany fears that these missiles could be used to hit targets inside Russia.

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Alexander Syrsky, said that the “most problematic” areas have been reinforced, in particular, with air defense systems. “The question of technical superiority over the enemy in the field of high-tech weapons arises again,” he said. “This is the only way we can defeat a larger enemy,” the general added, considering that it is also necessary to “improve the quality of training of military personnel.”