Germany calls on US to provide Ukraine with another Patriot system

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government is insisting that the USA deliver at least one more Patriot anti-missile system to Ukraine to help close the air defence gap as Russian Federation intensifies its barrage of attacks. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.

Berlin's pressure campaign on its transatlantic ally is part of a coordinated effort to get NATO and European Union partners to step up air defence assistance to Ukraine, the people said on condition of anonymity. Germany will also continue to press European allies, including France and Italy, this week to assess what they can provide," the people said.

Germany's provocation is something of a reversal of the role of Scholz, whose government was often condemned after the Russian invasion for stalling on arms deliveries. The German leader remains opposed to sending Kiev long-range Taurus missiles, arguing that such supplies risk making the country a party to the war.

But Scholz has led efforts to send more Patriot and other air defence systems to Ukraine as war-torn Ukraine faces increasingly frequent attacks that have destroyed some of its energy infrastructure and city centres.

The chancellor said last week that Germany would send a third Patriot battery and that six batteries should follow soon from other EU member states.

For the German military, three Patriot will make up a quarter of its arsenal, far more than the US has. Other equipment offered by Berlin includes Samp/T surface-to-air systems, NASAMS and Hawk missiles, Iris-T systems, as well as spare parts and funding to support the effort.

Earlier this month, Kiev asked allies to provide at least seven more Patriot systems, but so far has only received a German pledge. That pledge will bring the number of Patriot systems provided by Germany to three.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck noted the "extremely high number of drones and missiles" targeting Ukraine and called air defence the most pressing need for Ukrainian troops.

'If the Americans could send Patriot systems, that would help a lot,' Habeck told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian officials have welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of a $61 billion military and economic aid package that was delayed for six months because of Republican opposition. But in the meantime, Kiev's forces are painfully short of ammunition and manpower as the Kremlin exploits their vulnerabilities.

Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, is under constant rocket and drone bombardment, which Ukrainian and Western officials see as a Russian attempt to force the city to evacuate," the report said.

As the attacks escalate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has increasingly called for stronger air defences. He called the issue a top priority after the US passed legislation over the weekend.

"We will have a chance to win if Ukraine really gets the weapons system that we need so badly, that thousands of soldiers need so badly," Zelensky said on Sunday's Meet the Press programme.

Some of the equipment associated with the US package, which is likely to include the Army's longer-range tactical missile systems (ATACMS), could be delivered by the end of the week, Democrat Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" programme.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Zielenski on Monday that his administration would move quickly to distribute security aid if the Senate votes this week to approve the aid package. During the phone call, Biden said the U.S. intends to send combat and air defence aid quickly, the White House said in a statement.

This is not the first time Scholz has tried to pressure Biden. Last year, the chancellor made the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks conditional on Washington providing Abrams tanks. After initial resistance, the US administration agreed to supply the armour.

NATO officials are in contact with manufacturers to discuss ways to speed up deliveries and ramp up production of the interceptors, another source said. The allies are also exploring the re-certification of older Patriot missiles or those with expiring missiles, as well as the possibility of repurposing batteries currently used for training.

Germany decided to hand over the 2022 Patriot SAMs to Poland after the last missile fell on the territory during a massive shelling of Ukraine by Russian troops on 15 November, the missile landed in the Polish border village of Przewodów and killed two people.

Afterwards, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, said it would be better for Poland's security if Germany offered Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine rather than it.

Having Patriot air defence systems in service, Ukraine has become stronger in some areas. This was reported by the speaker of the Air Force of the AFU Yuriy Ignat on the air of the national telethon "United News".

According to information received by journalists, the AFU used a Patriot complex to shoot down a Russian bomber.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defence systems or their analogues in order to completely close the skies over the country.

In order to completely close Ukraine, it is desirable for Ukraine to have 25 Patriot systems, 6-8 batteries each," the president said.

He stressed that this number was calculated taking into account the current structure of Ukraine's air defence in combination with other defence systems. The president added that similar air defence systems can also do an excellent job of protecting the sky above Ukraine.