Brussels/Kyiv. The European Union has responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's weeks-long requests for better air defense and his references to empty ammunition depots. Brussels now wants to allow Ukraine to use new financial aid to purchase US Patriot anti-aircraft missiles. Kiev also received further commitments from Germany and Great Britain for its air defense in order to be able to fend off Russian ballistic missiles.
As EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, member states agreed to a corresponding exemption. Actually, preference should be given to purchasing European military equipment with EU arms aid. According to the information, a further 3.2 billion euros should now be paid out to Ukraine as quickly as possible. The money will enable the country to better protect its airspace from Russia's indiscriminate attacks, she wrote in a statement released jointly with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
NATO is involved in the project through the so-called Purl Initiative. This stipulates that military equipment manufactured in the USA for Ukraine will be financed by the European allies and Canada. The fresh money is specifically provided through the current EU support loan for Ukraine. This provides for payments of up to 90 billion euros by the end of 2027. According to information from the Commission, the formal decision to pay out the 3.2 billion euros will be made in the coming days.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had previously promised Ukraine further extensive arms deliveries to defend itself against Russian attacks. Russian intimidation attempts and hybrid attacks would not work on Ukraine, Germany or other partners, Pistorius said at a video conference of the Ukraine Contact Group (UDCG).
Pistorius said he had decided to deliver urgently needed PAC-2 interceptor missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine. Germany will also further increase its deliveries of air-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks. Ukraine will also order several thousand Iris-T guided missiles from Germany, which will be financed from the EU-Ukraine defense loan.
Britain wants to contribute £100 million to the Purl initiative to enable the delivery of ammunition for Ukraine's anti-aircraft systems before winter, if possible. This was announced by British Defense Minister Wes Streeting, as Ukrainian media reported from the contact group meeting.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyj thanked Germany and Great Britain for their support. “These are exactly the decisions that bring peace closer: when you limit the aggressor’s ability to kill,” Zelenskyj wrote on
In recent weeks, Zelensky has repeatedly asked for ammunition for the Patriot anti-aircraft systems, the best means of defense against ballistic missiles. Given the empty ammunition bunkers in Ukraine, Russia took advantage of this to launch massive attacks against Kiev and other civilian targets in the neighboring country. In addition, swarms of drones caused further civilian casualties in the neighboring country.
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, at least five people died in repeated attacks on Kiev during the night and throughout the day. A Russian drone attack damaged the building of the television station “My - Ukraina” (“We are Ukraine”) in Kiev and injured five people. Further victims were also reported from other regions.
Meanwhile, Kremlin chief President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump and discussed with him the results of the recent visit by US mediators to Kiev and Moscow. Putin assured Trump that he had no “aggressive plans” with regard to Europe, said Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met separately with Putin and Zelensky last weekend. No significant progress towards a peace solution was reported.
Amid renewed US efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Moscow is confident of victory: “We are convinced that victory is very close,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Moscow is confident in its military potential and its soldiers. The fighting was very successful, he claimed. There is hardly any movement on the front, but at the same time both sides have intensified their air and sea war. The signs point to escalation.
