Germany and the United States have agreed that Ukraine should receive five Patriot air defense systems as soon as possible.
This was stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the beginning of the 29th meeting in the “Ramstein” format, European Truth and RBC-Ukraine report.
"During my trip to Washington last week, I agreed with [Pentagon chief] Pete Hegseth that Germany would contribute to providing [Ukraine] with five much-needed Patriot systems as soon as possible," Pistorius said.
He added that over the next few days he will coordinate with partners the mechanism for implementing these plans.
The “Ramstein” meeting began on Monday, July 21. 52 countries are present at the level of defense ministers or their deputies. The United States is represented by the US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth is not at the meeting. The meeting is chaired by the United Kingdom and Germany, which convened it. Ukraine is represented by Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov.
What is known about weapons for Ukraine?
The US President Donald Trump, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, declared that he had concluded an agreement to supply weapons to Ukraine. They did not specify what weapons and how much they were talking about. However, Trump spoke of “state-of-the-art weapons worth billions of dollars”, while Rutte emphasized that the agreement included both ammunition and missiles.
Trump says that at NATOʼs suggestion, the US will approach Germany and send "early deliveries of missiles". The US president also said that some Patriot systems will be in Ukraine "very soon — in a matter of days, in fact". According to Trump, the costs will be covered by NATO members, not the US.
After Trump reported the deal, Axios, citing sources, reported that the United States would sell nearly $10 billion worth of weapons to NATO allies for further deliveries to Ukraine. And thatʼs just the first phase.
Trump also threatened Russia with “tough tariffs” on July 14 if it did not reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days. The US president has previously threatened Russia with sanctions, but has never imposed them.
A few days ago, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the country would not be able to provide Ukraine with more American Patriot air defense systems. Germany has 6 of them. At the same time, Berlin said it was ready to buy two Patriot systems from the United States for Ukraine — this option was discussed with the American side.
The Washington Post, citing a senior White House official, wrote that Germany will send Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine and in return will buy the same ones from the United States.
Subsequently, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Berlin and Washington would make a decision on the transfer of two American Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv "within a few days or weeks".
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