Germany says it can no longer supply further Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine

In brief

• Germany's defence minister Boris Pistorius says Berlin cannot supply more Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine for now.
• He argues that further transfers would leave gaps in German defences and calls on other partners to take a bigger share.
• The issue is to be discussed in mid-November at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

Berlin says its Patriot transfers have reached their limit

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on 7 November that Germany has reached the limit of what it can hand over to Ukraine in air defence. Berlin has already transferred several Patriot systems and a number of missiles for them, he said, and it cannot currently accept further transfers without leaving gaps in its own defences (Пісторіус заявив, що Німеччина вичерпала можливості постачати Україні Patriot – Espreso) (Писториус заявил, что Германия больше не может поставлять Украине Patriot – NV) (Глава Міноборони Німеччини: ми більше не можемо передавати Україні системи Patriot – Європейська правда).

Gaps at home are the main concern

Pistorius argued that anything Germany provides now could not be quickly replaced, which would leave holes in its own protection that the government would not be able to justify. In his words, more is not possible at the moment.

Other partners asked to step in

He said the responsibility for supplying Ukraine with air defence systems and missiles should now fall more heavily on other partners. The question is set to be discussed in mid-November at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, the Ramstein format meeting.

Shortage of interceptors

Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara had earlier called on the E5 countries, Germany, Britain, France, Poland and Italy, to consider handing over 10% of their Patriot and IRIS-T interceptor stocks, in exchange for future deliveries.

Russian strikes and the ground war

Pistorius also said Russia would not be able to turn the war in its favour despite winter air strikes, noting that Russian forces are making no progress on the ground and suffering very heavy losses. He did not present a verified figure for these losses.