Germany exhausts its Patriot missile stock for Ukraine, urges partners to step up

German Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said this in an interview with German public radio Deutschlandfunk, Ukrinform reports.

“We simply don’t have any more. What remains in terms of air defense missiles, for example for Patriot systems, is American-made. Frankly speaking, everything that is currently coming off the production lines goes straight to Ukraine,” he said in response to a question about delays in supplying air defense missiles to Ukraine.

The minister stressed that the relevant mechanism is financed primarily by European countries, with Germany providing the “lion’s share” of the funding for assistance received by Ukraine.

“The delays are not because of Germany. We have provided everything we had,” Wadephul said.

At the same time, he called on other European states to more actively review their own air defense stockpiles and increase their contributions to supporting Ukraine. Wadephul recalled that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had earlier urged partners to assess available resources and accelerate their transfer.

According to Wadephul, Europe must demonstrate unity and take on greater responsibility – both in terms of defense capabilities and technological development, including artificial intelligence, as well as strengthening competitiveness.

The minister emphasized that Germany’s support for Ukraine is justified because, in his words, Ukraine “is also defending our freedom.”

As previously reported, Pistorius said Germany is ready to transfer five additional Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine if partner countries collectively provide a total of 30 such missiles, stressing that strengthening air defense is “a matter of days, not weeks.”