Ukraine receives Patriot air defense systems from Germany
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Germany has delivered new Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine as part of a broader US-led initiative supported by NATO allies.
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The Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets fly over a Patriot Air and Missile Defense System in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that Germany has delivered additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
“Today, we can already say there is a good result for our air defense. Ukraine now has more Patriots. I would like to thank Chancellor [Friedrich] Merz, I thank Germany, and everyone who helps. Our agreements have been fulfilled,” Zelensky said in a message posted on Telegram.
Today, we can already say there is a good result for our air defense – Ukraine now has more Patriots. I thank Chancellor Merz, I thank Germany, and everyone who helps – our agreements have been fulfilled. More Patriots are now in Ukraine and being put into operation.
, Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 2, 2025
Of course,… pic.twitter.com/WW8qpOw84A
The transfer follows the broader defense initiative unveiled earlier this year by US President Donald Trump, who said on July 14 that Washington would provide Ukraine with military equipment while European nations would bear the financial costs. Trump described the arrangement as “a very big deal,” involving “billions of dollars worth of military equipment” to be purchased from the United States. Among the weapons included in the plan are Patriot air defense systems.
Alongside this, a new NATO-backed funding mechanism, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), has been activated: three Nordic countries, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, pledged approximately $486 million toward US-made weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot missiles and other air-defense materiel.
However, several European countries remain outside the initiative; France, Italy, the Czech Republic and Hungary have declined to participate, signaling divisions within Europe over continued support for Kiev.
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing they hamper efforts to end the conflict and effectively turn NATO countries into parties to the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine “will be a legitimate target” for the Russian military.
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