Germany is building an “iron dome” over Ukraine. Hundreds of Patriot missiles on their way to the front

Several hundred missiles for Patriot air defense systems financed by Germany will be delivered to Ukraine over the next four years, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday.

The meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, also known as the Ramstein Group, ended in Berlin. Pistorius, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and British Defense Minister John Healey were present on site. The remaining participants joined remotely.

– One thing is certain and obvious. Russia is benefiting from current events in the Middle East. Rising oil prices are boosting Vladimir Putin's war funds – at least for now, Pistorius said at a press conference at the German Defense Ministry.

The SPD politician assessed that relations between Germany and Ukraine have evolved into a strategic partnership that is beneficial to both parties. He considered the most important task to be providing Ukraine with air defense.

Pistorius referred to Tuesday's commitment of the government in Berlin to finance Ukraine from Germany several hundred missiles for Patriot air defense systems. As he explained, they will be delivered over the next four years.

Healey emphasized the importance of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield. According to him, unmanned aerial vehicles were responsible for 96 percent in March. Russian losses. – Drones have shaped this war and will be decisive for its outcome – he said, announcing that his government will provide Ukraine with 120,000 this year. drones of various types.

Rutte, however, expressed optimism that NATO will be able to effectively finance defense assistance for Ukraine through PURL, a NATO mechanism enabling allies to finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition from American stockpiles for Ukraine. He also admitted that the burden sharing within the Alliance is still unequal, although “changes for the better are visible.”

From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)

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