Pistorius, 'at the moment we can no longer give Patriot to Kiev'

Germany is no longer able to supply Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems for now, due to the risk of creating critical gaps in its own defense capability. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius declared this in an interview with the "Berliner Morgenpost", reported by Focus.

"Supplies, especially those of Patriot systems, are proving difficult. Germany has already delivered several systems and a large number of guided missiles intended for their use. We cannot do more at the moment," he said, calling for greater commitment from partners. "Any material we give up now could not be replaced for a certain period of time, and this would create gaps in our defenses that we cannot afford," the German defense minister explained.

Pistorius also noted that other countries "have done significantly less" and said Berlin expects greater commitment from its partners. “We must address this issue very seriously at the next meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, scheduled for mid-November,” he added. The German Defense Minister also argued that an interruption of aid to Kiev, as hoped by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, would cause a massive influx of Ukrainian refugees into the countries of Central and Western Europe: "If we interrupt aid to Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians will come to us", is the title of the interview.