Ukraine allies looking for solutions in EU on Patriots, German minister says

Ukraine’s allies are looking to see whether some member states in the European Union could supply Ukraine with five Patriot missile defense systems, of which Germany is willing to finance two, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday.

Pistorius said Germany would have been willing to give two of its own systems to Ukraine but needed reassurance that it could replace them within six to eight months.

“We are now looking for solutions that will allow us to identify Patriot systems in member states in Europe,” he said.

“So, it’s not hopeless, but the prerequisite is that countries that have them are prepared to hand them over now so that others can pay for them and they can go to Ukraine,” he added.