Germany faces constraints in supplying more patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine, says Defense Minister
Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has stated that Berlin cannot send more Patriot air-defense systems to Kyiv due to a lack of its own stockpiles. The German military has already supplied Ukraine with three out of its 12 available Patriot systems, leaving “only six” in the Bundeswehr's arsenal. "We only have six left in Germany. That is really too few, especially given the NATO goals we need to achieve. We definitely cannot provide more," Pistorius said in an interview with the Financial Times.
According to him, the limited number of systems is due to the deployment of two batteries in Poland and at least one being decommissioned for technical reasons or used for training.
Despite these challenges, Pistorius plans to discuss alternative ways to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses during his upcoming visit to the United States, where he will hold talks with U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth.
Specifically, the discussions may center around an offer made by Pistorius last month: Germany is prepared to purchase two additional Patriot systems from the U.S. to deliver them to Ukraine.
Commenting on the defense minister's statements, analysts from the Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express noted that an interesting situation has arisen surrounding the German Patriot systems. Initially, these systems, along with Eurofighter jets, were deployed to Poland in March 2022 as part of a temporary strengthening of allies.
However, by July, these air defense systems were withdrawn. Later, in November 2022, Berlin offered to officially hand over two Patriot batteries to Warsaw. The Polish side insisted on immediately transferring these systems to Ukraine, but Germany argued that such a decision should be made by NATO. Eventually, in December 2022, Warsaw accepted the offer, although Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak again emphasized that enhancing Ukraine's air defense would have been a more logical step.
In April 2023, Germany handed over two Patriot systems to Ukraine. Analysts suggest these are likely the same systems that previously guarded logistics routes in the Rzeszów area, a key hub for arms supplies. Consequently, amid the limited number of air defense systems available to the Bundeswehr, Pistorius publicly highlighted Germany's capacity limits for further transfers. However, diplomatic efforts to expand deliveries in collaboration with the U.S. continue.
As a reminder, on July 13, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the provision of additional Patriot batteries to Kyiv to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks. The President pointed out that the U.S. will not bear any cost, as the shipments will be financed by the European Union.