Germany is working on the supply of an additional Patriot air defence missile system to Ukraine in the winter months, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday.
“This is what is most necessary now – to ensure air defence with this highly efficient system,” Scholz said after the first day of the EU Political Community summit in Granada, Spain.
The German chancellor said Russia would try to threaten Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities again this winter with missile and drone attacks, and that is what made the air defence system a priority.
“I’m grateful for Germany’s support in defending our freedom and people. This is also the defence of Europe and our shared values,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X, formerly know as Twitter.
Asked by reporters about a report in the Bild newspaper that Germany had no plans to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, Scholz offered no comment but spoke about he Patriot system instead, saying it would serve Ukraine’s security needs to a very large extent.
“We must of course ensure that there is no escalation of the war and that Germany does not become part of the conflict,” Scholz said.
Source : Reuters