German defense minister wants to arm Kiev ‘quickly and quietly'
Pistorius and Hegseth met at the Pentagon on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump promised more US weapons for Kiev – funded by European NATO states – and threatened Moscow with 'severe tariffs' if no peace deal is reached within 50 days.
'We agreed to discuss [the details] very, very quickly – quietly and quickly – at the working level,' Pistorius told journalists after the meeting, noting that technical, logistical, and financial questions remained, but appeared solvable.
The decision to transfer at least two Patriot batteries to Ukraine could be finalized 'within days or weeks,' though the actual delivery may take months, according to Pistorius.
While Berlin has indicated its readiness to cover the cost of the systems – estimated at approximately $1 billion each – it remains unclear where the launchers will come from. Pistorius previously told the Financial Times that Germany has only six Patriot systems remaining, having already supplied Kiev with three batteries since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
Trump has stated that 'several nations' are ready to supply missile systems from their arsenals, including one unnamed country that allegedly "has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped.' It was not clear whether he was referring to individual launchers or complete Patriot batteries, which include multiple vehicles, radar systems, and command-and-control components.
Moscow has consistently stressed that no amount of Western military aid to Ukraine can change the course of the conflict but only serves to prolong the bloodshed and escalate the hostilities. The Russian military claims to have destroyed some of the Western-supplied missile systems during the course of the conflict.
The new plan to arm Kiev was officially announced Monday while Trump was hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. 'The European Union is paying for them. We are not paying anything for them… This will be a business for us,' Trump emphasized, without clarifying what other weaponry will be supplied.
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