Ukraine Asks Germany for Dozens of Missiles for the Patriot System — Bloomberg
Ukraine has formally requested that the German government urgently transfer dozens of additional interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems from the Bundeswehr’s existing defense stockpiles before the end of this year.
To address the shortage of European stockpiles, Kyiv has proposed a unique compromise to Berlin: to receive the necessary missiles immediately in exchange for returning to Germany new interceptors scheduled for production in the near future.
Currently, German officials are carefully reviewing this request and have not yet made a final decision. However, the publication’s sources suggest that the German government may announce its official verdict either during or shortly before the start of the July NATO summit.
The need to strengthen air defense is critical, as the aggressor state, Russia, is rapidly ramping up production of its own ballistic missiles and constantly improving their technical capabilities for strikes on Ukrainian cities. Although the United States remains the key supplier of missiles for the Patriot system, and the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East is partially diverting Washington’s attention, scheduled U.S. deliveries of interceptors to Ukraine are currently proceeding strictly on schedule. At the same time, due to the significant depletion of reserves in other European Union countries, Germany remains perhaps the only European nation capable of making a substantial contribution to the defense of Ukrainian airspace right now.
Bloomberg reports on this.
Journalists at The Guardian write that the global shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems creates additional opportunities for Russia to intensify air attacks on Ukraine. Analysts warn that the shortage of these munitions could persist for several more years and affect not only Ukraine but also the security of U.S. allies.
Testing of the new European air defense system Freya, which is touted as a more affordable alternative to the American Patriot system, may begin in Ukraine in the near future.
