Germany to send older Patriot missiles to Ukraine amid ongoing air defence challenges

Germany plans to send its older PAC-2 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, a European diplomat said, as Kyiv continues to face urgent needs for air defence systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

The Trump administration had allowed Germany to re-export Patriot materials to Kyiv after Ukraine signed a minerals deal in April, though the U.S. retains veto power over the resale of its military equipment, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Recently, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Berlin would supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles alongside four IRIS-T systems, which are effective against cruise missiles but not ballistic missiles.

However, the PAC-2 Patriots Germany intends to provide are less capable than the newer PAC-3 missiles at intercepting ballistic threats, the European diplomat said. “The only other existing system that may be capable of shooting down a ballistic is the Aster, a European missile, though that has not been proved,” the diplomat added.

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that even the more advanced PAC-3 missiles cannot intercept Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate ballistic missile, which was unveiled last November.

“While Ukraine can use its own domestically developed air defences and European aid to counter drones and cruise missiles, it still needs the Patriot missiles and systems to intercept ballistic missiles,” the official said.

Russia’s ballistic missile strikes have caused dozens of civilian deaths in 2025 alone. On Palm Sunday in mid-April, 35 civilians died and 113 were injured in a strike on Sumy, a northeastern city. The attack followed another deadly missile strike on a playground in Kryvyi Rih, which killed 20 people, including nine children, and injured 75.

The intelligence official emphasised the deadly potential of ballistic missile attacks: “Because of the speed and size of ballistic warheads, having enough Patriots is a question of ‘human life.’ Some in the U.S. administration understand, the official said, but some do not, that ‘each Iskander can kill hundreds of people.’”

Donating Patriot missiles is a significant ask for other countries, given their cost and strategic value. “They should compare the pluses of supporting Ukraine and weakening themselves,” the official added. “We are closely working with Americans. We are very thankful to them for this system, but it’s very far from enough, really very far.”

NATO allies have been discussing the possibility of supplying another Patriot system to Ukraine, potentially from Europe, but no breakthrough has been reached, according to three European officials. “There are discussions like ‘we can give this one up, but then we want a new one for a cheaper price,’” one official said, referring to talks about acquiring new systems from the U.S. in exchange for donating existing ones to Ukraine.

Air defence support for Ukraine is expected to be a key topic when U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth visits NATO headquarters for a meeting in early June, with an announcement on Patriot missiles possibly forthcoming, though not from the United States.

The Trump administration has reportedly been cautious about making public announcements regarding weapons deliveries to Kyiv, wary that such moves could disrupt ongoing negotiations. “They seem to think now if we have a huge announcement of giving Patriot missiles to Ukraine, that’s not something they want because it will make Putin very angry,” the official said. “They would be very concerned about this kind of jeopardizing any potential peace talks.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev