logo
US, Germany agree to deliver five Patriot defence systems to Ukraine

US, Germany agree to deliver five Patriot defence systems to Ukraine

Euronews21-07-2025
Germany and the United States have agreed to deliver five Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday.
Speaking during the 29th Ukraine Defence Contact Group, Pistorius said he reached the agreement with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during a recent trip to Washington.
That announcement comes as Russia ramps up its campaign of long-range strikes on Ukraine, including using ballistic missiles that only the Patriot system can shoot down.
Overnight into Monday, Russian strikes pounded Ukraine's capital Kyiv, killing one person and injuring at least six, according to authorities.
The large-scale drone and missile attack caused several fires to break out across the city, including in residential buildings, a children's day care, outdoor kiosks and a metro station, local officials said.
The announcement from Pistorius also comes after US President Donald Trump said on 11 July that Washington would send advanced weapons, including Patriots, to Ukraine via NATO, marking a sharp 180-degree turn after a brief pause in arms shipments by the Pentagon.
"We're going to be sending Patriots to NATO and then NATO will distribute that," Trump told US TV channel CBS News, adding that the alliance would pay for the systems.
The Patriot missile system can detect and intercept a wide range of oncoming air targets, high-end ballistic missiles in particular, and is regarded as one of the world's best, at a time when Moscow is increasing its nightly missile and drone attacks amid its all-out war against Ukraine, now well into its fourth year.
Coordination with partners on the systems' delivery will continue in the coming days, Pistorius said.
Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome last week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Germany would pay for two of the systems, while Norway has agreed to supply one.
On Monday, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said his country stands ready to help fund Patriot systems for Ukraine.
One of NATO's founding member countries, Norway has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, pledging both to donate F-16 fighter jets to the country as well as a $7 billion (€5.9 billion) aid plan spread across five years.
The US-built Patriot missile systems are a vital part of Ukraine's air defences and can intercept both ballistic and cruise missiles, providing protection against large-scale strikes on urban settlements.
Trump said on 16 July that Patriot shipments to Ukraine had already started, but the German Defence Ministry initially denied any knowledge of the transfers.
Washington has already sent three Patriot batteries to Ukraine, with Germany providing a further three.
An additional battery has come from a European coalition, though not all of the systems are currently operational due to routine maintenance rotations.
On 17 July, Switzerland said the US Defence Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defence systems to help Ukraine, which it badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks.
It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv.
Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028.
But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected.
The need to adequately arm Ukraine's military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russian internet hangs in the balance after network outages
Russian internet hangs in the balance after network outages

LeMonde

time44 minutes ago

  • LeMonde

Russian internet hangs in the balance after network outages

"Mobile network outages are becoming commonplace in Russia." This sentence was not written by a frustrated user fed up with unreliable service, but by Beeline, one of the country's largest telecommunications companies. In a statement published on July 18, this communications giant outlined best practices for coping with deliberate shutdowns and slowdowns of mobile internet access. These disruptions have intensified across nearly the entire Russian Federation in recent weeks. To justify these decisions, which have major consequences on daily life, authorities have invoked the need to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks – even thousands of kilometers from the front lines. But behind these not always convincing explanations lie drastic restrictions on freedoms on RuNet, the Russian internet. These outages, which already occurred in early May during celebrations of the 80 th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, expanded after Ukraine's impressive June 1 "Paoutina" ("Spider Web") operation: a coordinated drone attack on five Russian air bases, some of which are in Siberia. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Na Sviazi counted 69 outages in May and 655 in June. Since then, the lack of mobile internet has become the new norm in Russia. On July 15, the organization recorded interruptions in more than 85% of the country's regions. "The 'Paoutina' operation terrified Russian authorities, who realized drones could appear anywhere," said Sarkis Darbinyan, co-founder of the internet rights NGO Roskomsvoboda.

Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows 'peaceful world'
Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows 'peaceful world'

France 24

timean hour ago

  • France 24

Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows 'peaceful world'

US President Donald Trump cuts the ribbon on the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire To the sound of bagpipes, secret agents and golfers criss-crossed the sprawling complex on the Aberdeenshire coast, waiting for the president to tee off. "We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful, and the area has ... really, really welcomed us," Trump said before cutting a red ribbon. "We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he added. "We have a world that's got some conflict, but we've ironed out a lot of it. We're gonna have a great and peaceful world." Marine One carrying US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at MacLeod House on the Trump International Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire © Jane Barlow / POOL/AFP Trump's campaign song, the Village People's "YMCA", blared out after the ribbon cutting, as fireworks exploded in the background. The president then teed off with son Eric, who led the project. "This will be a tremendously successful place and a place where people can come and enjoy life," the US leader said, highlighting how his trip has again blurred the lines between his presidency and his business interests. "We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there's no question that that's been achieved," said Eric Trump. "This was his Mona Lisa," he said of his father's crafting of the course. "Sculpting the dunes, sculpting the land, that was always his painting," he added. Trade deal Trump also held talks with Scotland's leader First Minister John Swinney discussing tariffs on Scottish whisky as well as the situation in Gaza. Trump boards Air Force One at RAF Lossiemouth, north-east Scotland, heading back to the United States © Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP Then later Tuesday, Trump departed Scotland heading back to the United States. His new course in Scotland features the world's largest natural bunker, dunes and greens overlooking the sea, with a "focus on environmental sensitivity", said a press release. Visible out to sea were the offshore wind turbines that Trump unsuccessfully tried to block. The president again spoke out against wind power as he hosted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. It was one of the many issues Trump addressed during free-wheeling press conferences at his other golf complex in Turnberry, western Scotland where he played golf on Saturday and Sunday and juggled diplomacy. A wind turbine is seen in the sea behind the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire © Jane Barlow / POOL/AFP With Von der Leyen, he announced a trade agreement in which the EU resigned itself to 15 percent tariffs on goods entering the United States, a deal heavily criticised across the continent. At a press conference Monday with Starmer, Trump promised more aid for Gaza and gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a "10 or 12 day" ultimatum to cease hostilities in Ukraine. "I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it's going to end he kills people," Trump said of the Russian leader. "I'm not so interested in talking (to him) anymore," he added. Trump also criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan at the press conference and waded back into UK politics on Tuesday when he took to his Truth Social platform to urge the government to cut taxes and incentivise oil drilling in the North Sea, denouncing wind turbines as "ugly monsters". "Incentivize the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people," he wrote. © 2025 AFP

Economist Dmitry Nekrasov: 'Only a handful of sanctions have had a serious effect on Putin's ability to continue the war'
Economist Dmitry Nekrasov: 'Only a handful of sanctions have had a serious effect on Putin's ability to continue the war'

LeMonde

time2 hours ago

  • LeMonde

Economist Dmitry Nekrasov: 'Only a handful of sanctions have had a serious effect on Putin's ability to continue the war'

In its 18 th package of sanctions against Russia, announced on July 18, the European Union introduced two measures targeting Russian oil exports. First, it lowered the authorized price cap for Russian crude oil purchases, which was now set at 15% below the market price. This supposedly more "dynamic" sanction mechanism replaces a previous cap of $60 (€51) per barrel. In addition, the EU added 100 more ships to its list of vessels banned from entering ports and locks, in a move aimed at curbing the so-called " shadow fleet" of tankers that secretly export Russian crude oil. What impact could these new measures have? Dmitry Nekrasov, an economist, entrepreneur and expert at the Center for Analysis and Strategy in Europe (CASE), which he co-founded, shares his insights. Nekrasov, a former adviser to Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev (2008-2012), later joined the Russian opposition coordination council and was ultimately forced to emigrate to Cyprus. He has been highly critical of the sanctions' real effectiveness on the Russian economy. According to his estimate, only 2,000 out of 15,000 sanctions measures have achieved their intended goal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store