Germany will not provide Ukraine with additional Patriot systems, as transferring them would leave gaps in its own defenses. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made the statement in an interview with the Funke media group.
Pistorius said Berlin had provided Kyiv with several Patriot systems and a considerable quantity of missiles to help stop Russian air attacks. However, he said the country currently was unable to send any more equipment of this type.
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“Supplying equipment, particularly Patriot systems, is difficult. Germany has already delivered several systems and many missiles. For now, we cannot do more. The equipment we would send could not be replaced for a certain period, creating gaps in our defenses that we cannot accept,” the minister said.
The head of Germany’s defense ministry noted that some allies had provided less assistance to Ukraine than Berlin and called on international partners to increase their supplies of weapons and military equipment.
He called for the issue to be discussed extensively at the next meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, scheduled for mid-November. Pistorius also said he did not expect a ceasefire in Ukraine to be reached soon.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Germany has been among Kyiv’s main supporters. Published data show that Berlin has provided around 43.3 billion euros in humanitarian aid and 57.6 billion euros in military support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of the consequences of a shortage of Patriot missiles, while reporting that recent Russian attacks have caused considerable damage.
In a post on X, Zelensky said that Russian ballistic attacks on Ukraine were continuing and that the lack of missiles for the Patriots had weakened the country’s ability to defend itself against air strikes.
He added that Ukraine produces more electricity than it consumes, but attacks on substations and the distribution network had caused major power shortages in Kyiv and other regions.
According to Zelensky, Russia has intensified its strikes on bridges over the Dnipro River, in the area stretching from Kyiv to Zaporizhia. He said that during the night, Kyiv’s Northern Bridge was hit by four of the six ballistic missiles directed at it.
The president announced that during November, Ukraine would take part in several important international meetings, including the G7, the Coalition of the Willing and the Ramstein format. The aim, he said, was to secure greater support, particularly for air defense and the energy sector.
Meanwhile, Russia announced that during the night it had shot down 142 Ukrainian drones over several regions of the country and the Sea of Azov.
