Following last month’s announcement that the US government would supply a Patriot air defence battery to Ukraine, the White House revealed on January 5 that Germany will also donate one of its own systems to the war-torn country.
The move was announced in a joint press statement issued by the White House, which was published following a phone call between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to exchange views on Russia’s ongoing and aggressive war against Ukraine. During the aforementioned call, the two leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. They also reaffirmed their determination to continue to support the war-torn European nation through necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support, including the intention of supplying additional air defence systems in light of ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory.
To that end, Chancellor Scholz outlined that Germany would match the US by supplying an additional Patriot air defence battery to Ukraine in a bid to help the country better defend itself against the onslaught of Russian missiles and drones, which include Russia’s use of Iranian Shahed-131/136 ‘kamikaze’ drones against critical infrastructure across Ukraine. The move comes after the US government announced it would donate a single Patriot system to Ukraine following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington DC – in what was his first foreign visit since the Russian invasion began – for talks with President Biden on December 21, 2022.
In addition, the White House confirmed that the US intends to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), adding that Germany would also supply its Marder IFVs to the country. Both countries plan to provide training for Ukrainian ground forces on how to use both respective systems.
