The German authorities has confirmed plans to ship MIM-104 Patriot lengthy vary air defence methods to Ukraine “as rapidly as doable,” after a plan was reportedly agreed on with the US. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has confirmed that Berlin acknowledged that 5 Patriot methods from Germany’s personal already significantly depleted stock can be dispatched. “We’ll coordinate intently within the coming days to find out how greatest to realize this,” he acknowledged after a gathering of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. The minister additional famous that Germany would provide surface-to-air missiles, and would finance the manufacturing of lengthy vary drones in Ukraine. Pistorius additionally confirmed longstanding hypothesis that deliberate Patriot provides to Switzerland had been delayed, and that the methods beforehand meant for the Swiss Air Pressure can be diverted to the German Armed Forces, with deliveries occurring in 2027-2028 to exchange items equipped to Ukraine. The Swiss authorities is reported to have assented to this.
The Defence Minister Pistorius’s assertion contrasts to his prior assertion that the German Armed Forces lacked enough provides of Patriot methods to ship additional methods to Ukraine. He claimed that Solely six batteries have been nonetheless accessible, after three had been donated to Ukraine, two have been ahead deployed in Poland, and one other was getting used for NATO operations and coaching. In April 2024 German International Minister Annalena Baerbock equally famous relating to her nation’s capability: “Sadly, the shares, particularly our personal Patriot methods, at the moment are just about exhausted. Subsequently I made it clear at a NATO international ministers’ assembly that we have to test the supply of all Patriot methods in Europe and globally, and that we are going to make each effort to acquire these methods for Ukraine.” Within the second week of July, 2025, German Main Basic Christian Freuding revealed that Berlin was poised to conclude a serious defence procurement settlement to accumulate two Patriot methods for Ukraine, though on the time it was not anticipated that the nation can be prepared to additional scale back its already very restricted stockpiles to realize this.
Costing an estimated $2.5 billion every, the financing of provides of Patriot methods to Ukraine has been significantly burdensome for the Japanese European state’s supporters within the Western world, particularly because the methods have taken important losses in fight at charges far exceeding NATO members’ capability to exchange them. Such losses have been confirmed by drone footage on a number of events from March 2024. Most not too long ago Russian strikes within the late hours of July 21 efficiently focused certainly one of Ukraine’s few remaining Patriot methods, destroying three surface-to-air missile launchers and an related AN/MPQ-65 radar.
An additional main situation elevating controversy with donations of Patriot methods are the rising questions being raised relating to its effectiveness. Ukrainian and Western sources have not too long ago warned that the system has confirmed more and more ineffective towards Russian ballistic missile assaults, as these missiles have demonstrated enhancing ranges of manoeuvrability which have made them extremely difficult to detect. Such stories are removed from unprecedented, with Ukrainian Air Pressure spokesman Igor Ignat having highlighted on Might 26 the system’s shortcomings intercepting assaults by the Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile system, observing: “The Iskander missiles carry out evasive manoeuvres within the last part, thwarting the Patriot’s trajectory calculations… As well as, the Iskander can drop decoys able to fooling Patriot missiles.”
