This year, Ukraine to deploy second Patriot air defense system provided by Germany – Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the second Patriot air defense system provided by the country will arrive in Ukraine and become operational this year. A conference of the coalition, which intends to strengthen air defense in Ukraine, was also held in Berlin. This was reported by Welt and Tagesspiegel and the German Ministry of Defense.
During a speech in the Bundestag, Scholz said that this year Ukraine will receive the second Patriot air defense system provided by Germany. There will also be armored vehicles, ammunition and winter protective clothing for the Armed Forces, generators, etc., Welt quoted him as saying.
"All this is extremely necessary. Because Russia has now completely dedicated its economy to the service of this war. Russian weapons production is in full swing," he said.
The chancellor also noted that in 2024, Germany will allocate 8 billion euros for the supply of weapons, financial aid for the Ukrainian budget and 6 million euros for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
According to Tagesspiegel, in the background of the negotiations regarding the German state budget, Scholz noted: if the situation in Ukraine worsens, Germany will have to react.
"Today nobody knows whether this will happen. In order to consider such a development, we have already decided to propose a resolution to exceed the limit in the Bundestag," he said.
Scholz also warned about the consequences of reducing support for the defense of Ukraine. He noted that Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin is betting that international support for Ukraine will decrease, the journalists wrote.
"The danger that this calculation could work cannot be dismissed," he emphasized.
The German Ministry of Defense noted that on December 13, a kick-off conference of the coalition on the potential for long-term strengthening of Ukraine's air defense, led by France and Germany, took place in Berlin.
It was attended by about 70 participants from 22 countries, as well as representatives of the EU and NATO. The Ministry of Defense stated that the goal was to
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the European Union will not be able to transfer a million shells to Ukraine in the spring of 2024, but assured that "the situation will improve."
On November 21, the head of the German Defense Ministry announced an aid package worth 1.3 billion euros, which includes additional Iris-T for 2024-2025 and shells.
On December 8, Germany announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine, which, in particular, included additional 155-mm ammunition, reconnaissance drones and other weapons.
