Germany’s Defense Ministry has denied knowledge of any Patriot systems for Ukraine currently leaving German territory, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s public claim. SRF reports that German officials say no such delivery is underway.
Germany contradicts Trump on Patriot system shipments
A spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry said they could not confirm that any Patriot systems were presently on the way to Ukraine.
“That is not known to me,” the spokesperson stated, as cited by SRF.
Trump, speaking to journalists in Washington on 15 July, claimed that the first Patriot systems were already being delivered,
“They are coming from Germany,” he added without providing any further details.
Berlin’s response directly contradicts this assertion.
NATO confirms plans for rapid Patriot delivery
Meanwhile, NATO is preparing to speed up deployment of additional Patriot systems to Ukraine, SRF says. The announcement comes as the country faces some of the heaviest Russian air attacks of the war.
NATO Air Commander Alexus Grynkewich said preparations were ongoing and involved close cooperation with Germany. Speaking at a conference in Wiesbaden, he stated,
“Preparations are underway, we are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot relocation.” He added, “The instruction I received is to withdraw them as quickly as possible.”
Allies to discuss unresolved issues in upcoming meeting
The German Defense Ministry also noted that a virtual meeting of Ukraine’s supporting nations — the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) — would be held on 21 July. The goal of the meeting is to resolve remaining questions and implement the delivery of Patriot systems to Ukraine as swiftly as possible.