Berlin pledges decision on Patriots for Kyiv within 'days or weeks'
WASHINGTON - Berlin and Washington will take a decision about sending two U.S.-made Patriot air defence systems to Kyiv within days or weeks, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday after talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Germany has offered to buy U.S. Patriot units to supply them to Ukraine which has suffered some of the heaviest Russian attacks of the war over the past weeks.
Speaking in Washington, Pistorius said talks would continue at the working level to finalize details, including the number of launchers and missiles that might be included in the agreement.
With a deal in place, the first Patriot unit could be sent to Ukraine within months, he said. He declined to comment on whether the talks also addressed offensive weapons for Kyiv.
Germany has donated three of its own Patriot units to Kyiv, retaining nine systems - much fewer than the 36 Patriot batteries it had at the height of the Cold War.
Pistorius received a warm welcome in Washington, reflecting Germany's evolving role as a major contributor to NATO's largest military buildup since the Cold War after being a laggard in defence spending for decades.
As European officials fret over a possible future attack from Russia and brace for a drawdown of U.S. forces, Germany loosened its constitutional debt brake to meet NATO's new core military spending target of 3.5% of national output by 2029.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
World In reversal, Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil
Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years?
Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun
Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3
Opinion Sumiko at 61: When beauty fades, why do some accept it better than others?
Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA
Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder
Singapore Ex-cop charged after he allegedly went on MHA portal, unlawfully shared info with man
The move will boost German defence spending to 162 billion euros ($189 billion) in 2029 from 95 billion euros in the draft budget for 2025.
GERMANY ASKS FOR U.S. TYPHON MISSILE LAUNCHERS
Pistorius said Berlin had sent a letter of request to Washington for the purchase of U.S. Typhon missile launchers, with a decision on whether to place an order to be taken later.
He described the system as a potential stop-gap solution while European partners work to develop their own land-based long-range weapons.
"Together with Great Britain and other partners, we are developing land-based long-range systems, but this will take 7 to 10 years," Pistorius told reporters. "This is why we need a stop-gap solution."
Capable of launching missiles with a range of some 2,000 km(1,243 miles), Typhon could bridge the gap between the deployment of U.S. long-range missiles to Germany, scheduled from 2026, until the development of European ground-launched long-range weapons, according to the minister.
Pistorius did not manage to get clarity, however, on whether Washington remains committed to temporarily deploying long-range missiles to Germany from 2026, as agreed under former President Joe Biden.
"I am very confident that last year's agreement is still valid, but we are still waiting for a final decision," he noted, adding the deployment was being reviewed at the moment.
The deployment would include systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,800 km (1,118 miles) and the developmental hypersonic weapon Dark Eagle with a range of around 3,000 km.
Russia has criticised the plans as a serious threat to its national security and dismissed NATO concerns that it could attack an alliance member.
Another key issue in Pistorius' talks in Washington was an ongoing review of the U.S. force posture worldwide that could lead to troop cuts in Europe where around 80,000 U.S. soldiers serve, including some 40,000 in Germany.
European allies have been urging Washington to ensure any drawdown is coordinated to prevent capability gaps that might leave NATO members vulnerable to Russian aggression.
Pistorius said Hegseth had agreed to a coordinated and transparent approach should the U.S. actually pull troops from the continent. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Life-threatening operations by Russia, Iran and China are intensifying in UK, police say
Russia, Iran and China are using criminals, vulnerable people, the disenfranchised, and even children as proxies to carry out attacks in the UK, say police. LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on July 15. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On July 15, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Commander Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. 'We are increasingly seeing these three states... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom,' he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. 'We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do,' said ACC Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2024, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. 'We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that,' Comm Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia, Iran and China intensifying life-threatening operations in UK, police say
LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on Tuesday. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On Tuesday, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. "We are increasingly seeing these three states ... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom," he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. "We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do," said Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. "We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that," Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
Business Times
41 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump lands Indonesia trade deal as EU readies retaliation
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jul 15) announced a trade deal with Indonesia, the latest pact in a bid to cement better terms with trading partners and reduce a massive trade deficit, even as the European Union readied retaliatory measures should talks between Washington and its top trading partner fail. 'Great deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia. I dealt directly with their highly respected President. DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!!' Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Indonesia's total trade with the US – totalling just under US$40 billion in 2024 – does not rank in the top 15, but it has been growing. US exports to Indonesia rose 3.7 per cent last year, while imports from there were up 4.8 per cent, leaving the US with a goods trade deficit of nearly US$18 billion. The top US import categories from Indonesia, according to US Census Bureau data retrieved on the International Trade Centre's TradeMap tool, last year were palm oil, electronics equipment including data routers and switches, footwear, car tires, natural rubber and frozen shrimp. Susiwijono Moegiarso, a senior official with Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, told Reuters in a text message: 'We are preparing a joint statement between US and Indonesia that will explain the size of reciprocal tariff for Indonesia including the tariff deal, non-tariff and commercial arrangements. We will inform (the public) soon.' Trump had threatened Indonesia with a 32 per cent tariff rate effective Aug 1 in a letter sent to its president last week. Trump sent similar letters to roughly two dozen trading partners this month, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The Aug 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate agreements that could lower the threatened tariffs. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. Since launching his tariff policy, Trump has clinched only a few deals despite his team touting an effort to bring home '90 deals in 90 days.' So far, framework agreements have been reached with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and an interim deal has been struck with China to forestall the steepest of Trump's tariffs while negotiations continue between Washington and Beijing. EU readies retaliation The breakthrough with Indonesia came as the European Commission, the EU's governing body, gets set to target 72 billion euros (S$107.5 billion) worth of US goods – from Boeing aircraft and bourbon whiskey to cars – for possible tariffs if trade talks with Washington fail. Trump is threatening a 30 per cent tariff on imports from the EU from Aug 1, a level European officials say is unacceptable and would end normal trade between two of the world's largest markets. The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, pre-dates Trump's move over the weekend to ramp up pressure on the 27-nation bloc and responds instead to US duties on cars and car parts and a 10 per cent baseline tariff. The package also covers chemicals, medical devices, electrical and precision equipment as well as agriculture and food products – a range of fruits and vegetables, along with wine, beer and spirits – valued at 6.35 billion euros. Following a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels on Monday, officials said they were still seeking a deal to avoid Trump's heavy tariff blow. But EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said those at the meeting expressed unprecedented resolve to protect EU businesses using European countermeasures if negotiations with Washington fail to produce a deal. REUTERS
