Strengthening air defence is a key element of the aid package for Ukraine agreed by Germany on 14 April, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said after a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defence in the Ramstein format, Radio Liberty’s correspondent has reported.
“It (the package – ed.) includes hundreds of guided missiles in Patriot systems. They will be delivered gradually over the next four years. In addition, we will provide Ukraine with additional launchers for IRIS-T SLM systems. We will also fund additional long-range drones to be manufactured in Ukraine. And we are looking into the future: we have decided to jointly develop and produce medium- and long-range systems,” Pistorius said.
The official emphasised that the relations between Ukraine and Germany have deepened in recent years: now they are not only about purely military support, but also a strategic partnership beneficial to both sides.
“Russia will benefit from the current developments in the Middle East. Rising oil prices are filling Vladimir Putin’s military coffers-at least for the moment… The so-called Russian-Ukrainian peace talks are on hold for now. But the truth is that Russia has never taken them seriously. That is why it is even more important to support Ukraine,” Pistorius emphasised.
The day before, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry announced a new “large-scale package” of cooperation with Germany for four billion euros, which envisages strengthening Ukrainian air defence, developing long-range capabilities, as well as joint production of drones.
“Germany will finance a contract for several hundred missiles in Patriot-this will significantly strengthen the defence of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. The delivery of 36 IRIS-T launchers is also envisaged, which will strengthen the multilevel air defence system. It was agreed to invest 300 million euros in long-range capabilities, which will allow increasing the production of Ukrainian weapons. As part of the Build with Ukraine initiative, we are launching joint production of mid-strike drones using AI. At the first stage – 5,000 drones for the Defence Forces,” Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
Germany has become Ukraine’s largest European donor in its fight against Russian aggression amid the United States cutting support under Donald Trump’s presidency.