A representative of the German Ministry of Defense was unable to confirm the shipment of Patriot air defense system components to Ukraine, as previously announced by US President Donald Trump.
Points of attention
- Germany refutes Trump's announcement of sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine, highlighting the lack of confirmation from the German Ministry of Defense.
- The planned rapid transfer of additional Patriot air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is in progress, reflecting the continued support for Ukraine's defense.
Germany denies Trump's claims about sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine
I can't confirm that anything is on the way right now.
On July 15, US President Donald Trump announced that deliveries of Patriot missiles to Ukraine from Germany had already begun.
He assured that "they leave Germany, and then Germany replaces them, and in all cases the United States receives full payment."
On July 16, a representative of the German Ministry of Defense reported that a meeting of the participants of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine (the so-called "Ramstein" format) will be held on July 21, at which options for accelerating the supply of Patriot complexes to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be discussed.
Preparations are already underway for the rapid transfer of additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, NATO commander Alexus Hrynkevich said.
"Preparations are already underway, we are working very closely with the Germans on the issue of the Patriot transfer. I have been instructed to act as quickly as possible," he said at a conference in the German city of Wiesbaden.
Alexus Hrynkevich
NATO Commander
On July 14, Trump announced an agreement between the US and NATO, under which the supply of American weapons to Ukraine will be paid for by European allies.
Trump also announced the sending of additional Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.
The British news agency Reuters wrote that US President Donald Trump's promise to provide Ukraine with additional weapons, in particular the Patriot missile defense system, at the expense of partners, came as a surprise even to close US allies — it seems that they did not find out about it in advance, but only at the time of the announcement.
It was reported that now comes the most difficult part — to agree on who will actually give up their valuable systems, including Patriot missile batteries, which Kyiv badly needs.
