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Germany starts hunt for more air defences as Zelenskiy pleads for Patriots
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Germany is pursuing additional air defence systems for Ukraine amid heavy Russian attacks, with Zelenskiy urging for more Patriot systems.
By Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and Makini Brice
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Germany launched a fresh bid on Wednesday to chase down more air defence systems for Ukraine, which in past weeks has suffered some of the heaviest Russian attacks since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Berlin aims to potentially surpass the sum of 1 billion euros which it collected with a similar initiative last year, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Brussels.
He was speaking before a meeting of the Ramstein group of some 50 nations set up by the U.S. to coordinate military aid. It has been co-chaired by Germany and Britain since Washington decided to no longer lead the group.
Washington was represented by its NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, with U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth expected to join a day later for a meeting with his NATO counterparts.
Addressing the gathering at NATO's Brussels headquarters online, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated his calls for more air defences to protect Ukrainians, in particular for Patriot or similar systems.
"The stronger our air defence is, the less value (Russian President Vladimir) Putin sees in attacking our cities and villages, so please let's continue strengthening our air shield," he said.
"This is the most effective way to force Russia to stop its missile strikes and terror," he added.
British Defence Secretary John Healey said Moscow was routinely firing over 300 drones a day into Ukraine, a rate of fire that could be sustained throughout 2025.
"President Putin continues to prove he's not for peace, he remains set on death, destruction and destabilisation," he said.
Pistorius said Berlin had asked the United States and other allies to donate more Patriots or similar air defences.
"We have also offered, on a case-by-case basis, to look into paying for such systems that could be freed up. We cannot wait for industrial deliveries, this simply takes too long," he said.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart Meijer; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Rod Nickel)
Germany aims to secure more air defense systems for Ukraine, potentially exceeding 1 billion euros collected from a previous initiative.
President Zelenskiy called for more air defenses, specifically requesting Patriot systems to protect Ukrainian cities and villages.
British Defence Secretary John Healey stated that Moscow is firing over 300 drones a day into Ukraine, a rate that could continue into 2025.
Boris Pistorius mentioned that Germany has asked the U.S. and allies to donate more Patriots and is willing to pay for systems that could be freed up.
Strengthening Ukraine's air defense is seen as a way to deter Russian attacks, making it less valuable for Putin to target Ukrainian cities and villages.
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