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