Germany has announced that it has exhausted its capacity to supply Ukraine with Patriot systems.
Germany is currently unable to transfer additional Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks to Ukraine. This was stated on 26 January by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius during a joint press conference with the Lithuanian Defence Minister in Berlin.
According to Pistorius, Germany has already made a disproportionately large contribution to strengthening Ukraine's air defence and has transferred more than a third of its own Patriot capabilities to Kyiv. He stressed that the Bundeswehr expects the transferred systems to be replaced and, at the same time, must maintain the capacity to train personnel and maintain the complexes.
The minister also acknowledged that the supply of IRIS T anti-aircraft missile systems, for which Germany remains the sole manufacturer and supplier to Ukraine, does not cover all needs. According to him, Berlin is transferring these systems on an ongoing basis, but against the backdrop of intensified Russian air attacks, this volume is insufficient.
Pistorius called on Ukraine's Western partners to check their own weapons stocks and transfer capabilities, especially those countries that may still have spare resources to strengthen air defence.
At the same time, the head of the German Defence Ministry sharply criticised Russia for its continued strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. He called such actions particularly cynical and stressed that in winter conditions, attacks on civilian targets are intended to terrorise the population and are a violation of international law.
Source and photo: DW
Germany, Boris Pistorius, Lithuania, Berlin, Patriot