Berlin will provide Kyiv with another IRIS-T air defense system in May, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jager said on May 13.
Ukraine has asked international partners to deliver more air defense in the wake of a shortage and an increase in Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure since March.
Air defense systems like the Patriot and the IRIS-T are highly effective at intercepting Russia's ballistic and cruise missiles. Jager said that Ukraine already has a few IRIS-T systems in its arsenal.
Kyiv will also be provided with additional IRIS-T air defense systems later this year, as well as in 2025 and 2026, according to the ambassador.
Jager also noted that Berlin would send a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Its arrival is expected no earlier than late June.
Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S.
Berlin has previously provided IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine, including three IRIS-T SLM systems, with a range of up to 40 kilometers, and one IRIS-T SLS, with a range of up to 12 kilometers.
Germany also launched an initiative to boost Ukraine's air defenses in April. Canada and Belgium have already publicly pledged to the German-led initiative.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 6 that Ukraine needed 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the country's skies from Russian attacks.
Francis Farrell
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