Germany outlines drone and Patriot plan for Ukraine

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius elaborate connected Monday what further assistance Berlin plans to supply to Ukraine arsenic it holds disconnected Russian forces.

Speaking astatine a gathering of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group successful London - a gathering of Kiev's Western allies - Pistorius said that Germany was financing the procurement of long-range drones, being manufactured successful Ukraine itself.

"They volition destruct Russian aircraft, drones and missiles connected the crushed earlier they tin airs a menace to Ukraine, its cities oregon infrastructure," helium said.

"The archetypal of the systems financed by Germany volition beryllium delivered to the Ukrainian equipped forces successful the coming days and tin beryllium deployed immediately."

When it comes to the Patriot aerial defence systems, Pistorius said that Ukraine needed 5 further systems to support itself against Russian airstrikes.

Germany has promised to proviso Ukraine with 2 Patriot rocket systems, purchased from the United States.

Germany's archetypal program was to acquisition two, each costing astir €1 cardinal ($1.16 billion), from the US and present them straight to Ukraine.

However, arsenic the systems are not yet available, Germany volition manus implicit 2 of its 9 remaining Patriot systems to Ukraine and aboriginal person replacements from the US.