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Germany has written to dozens of countries, including Gulf Arab states, to ask for more air defense systems for Ukraine, saying Kiev needs urgent help to protect its cities, troops and critical infrastructure from the “murderous assault” by Russian missiles.
In a letter addressed to other NATO members, a copy of which was obtained by the Financial Times and confirmed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said they were launching a Comprehensive initiative aimed at filling gaps in Ukraine’s air defenses.
A “wide range of non-NATO partners” were also contacted, they added. Officials declined to identify these countries.
Ukraine has warned that it is struggling to stop a multi-pronged and escalating Russian offensive. German ministers said Russia was trying to destroy Odesa – the Black Sea port city they described as Ukraine’s “economic lifeline” – and the north-eastern industrial hub of Kharkiv, while a wave of attacks on energy infrastructure caused even greater damage. than during the winter of 2022-23.
“It is up to us to help Ukraine defend itself from this murderous onslaught,” they said, calling on German partners to join the initiative, known as Immediate Action on Air Defense (IAAD).
“We invite you to take stock of everything [the] air defense systems in your arsenals and consider what could be transferred to Ukraine, entire systems or parts of them, permanently or for a limited period,” they said.
In a statement to the FT, Kuleba said Kiev was “very grateful to Germany for its leadership on the issue of air defense for Ukraine.”
“Not only has it provided its own Patriot system and its own missiles, but our German friends are actively looking for ways to involve other countries that could help,” he said. “We urge everyone to reciprocate the German appeal.”
Kiev officials said Kuleba had discussions with Baerbock at NATO headquarters in Brussels this month about scouring the world for available systems. Germany is leading together with France and the United States an “Integrated Air and Missile Defense Capabilities Coalition” for Ukraine.
“Stronger air defense is a matter of survival for thousands of people in Ukraine and better protection for our security,” Baerbock said at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Capri, Italy, on Wednesday. “We and our partners around the world must do more to repel Russian terror from the skies.”
Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, warned on Saturday that the situation on the Eastern Front has “significantly worsened” in recent days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Ukraine’s Western partners to provide more air defense systems. After a Russian missile attack destroyed Kiev’s largest power plant last week, he called on the US Congress to pass a much-needed $60 billion military assistance package.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to vote this week on the Ukraine aid package, even as opponents in his own Republican Party threaten to oust him over the issue.
The latest calls came after a Russian missile attack on Chernihiv, a city 150 kilometers north of the capital Kiev, on Wednesday. According to authorities, the attacks in a densely populated residential neighborhood killed at least 17 people and injured more than 60.
“These innocent people would not have been killed or injured if Ukraine had sufficient air defense capabilities,” Kuleba said. “Ukraine’s partners have the necessary means to help us save Ukrainian lives.”
Baerbock and Pistorius said the IAAD initiative would primarily seek to procure Ukraine more US-built Patriot systems as they have proven more effective against Russian ballistic missiles.
German Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz said Russia’s use of “glide bombs” fired far behind Ukrainian lines increased the need for “long-range weapons” such as the Patriot.
Germany announced last week that it would provide Ukraine with a third Patriot system, in addition to the two already supplied. It also donated other equipment, such as Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and four Iris-T air defense systems. Officials said Berlin will send more Iris-Ts later this year.
Germany is also scanning the world for other defensive units that could prove useful to Ukraine, such as the French-Italian SAMP/T and US-Norwegian NASAMS surface-to-air systems, officials said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said other countries needed to “seriously look to see whether more systems are available and whether these can be quickly supplied to Ukraine.”