Germany will transfer additional Patriot and AIM-9 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine while financing tens of thousands of long-range artillery rounds, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has announced.
Speaking at the opening of the latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, Pistorius said Berlin would urgently provide PAC-2 Patriot interceptor missiles and called on other countries to examine whether they could release weapons from their own inventories ahead of the winter.
Pistorius acknowledged the tension between maintaining national reserves and supplying Ukraine, but told participants: “I am aware that it is not easy to strike a balance between one’s own security requirements and urgently needed support to Ukraine. But please, if in doubt, decide in favor for Ukraine.”
Germany will also increase deliveries of AIM-9 air-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, with Pistorius saying the weapons were already being supplied to Ukraine. The additional missiles form part of a wider effort to strengthen Ukrainian air defences before temperatures fall, with the German minister warning that Russian attacks against power stations, ports and other infrastructure could increase during the winter.
Germany is also continuing deliveries of IRIS-T air defence systems and missiles. Pistorius said Ukraine was preparing to order several thousand additional IRIS-T guided missiles using funding from the EU-Ukraine Defence Loan.
According to Pistorius, the size of that procurement will allow industry to expand production by establishing another missile production line. He said the order represented an example of how support for Ukraine could also increase European defence manufacturing capacity, allowing production to serve both Ukrainian requirements and wider European rearmament.
Pistorius also referred to the City Dome project, through which Germany is supporting the establishment of additional defences for Ukrainian cities against missile and drone attacks. Beyond air defence, Germany will finance several tens of thousands of long-range artillery rounds for Ukraine. The ammunition will be procured through the British Artillery and Air Defence Consortium before being transferred to Ukrainian forces.
Pistorius thanked UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and his team for helping arrange the procurement, describing it as an example of cooperation between countries participating in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
Germany will also continue deliveries of drones and long-range ammunition as part of its support for Ukrainian forces operating on the front. The commitments were announced as members of the contact group focused heavily on preparing Ukraine for another winter of Russian air attacks, with air defence missiles identified by Kyiv as its most immediate requirement.
