As part of a meeting between the defense ministers of both countries, it has been confirmed that Germany will equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces with four new IRIS-T air defense systems, primarily aimed at strengthening their ability to withstand increasingly large-scale Russian air attacks. The transfer is part of a broader agreement signed in Berlin, which includes not only the delivery of these systems, but also a significant batch of munitions and funding to support their production within Ukrainian territory.

Specifically, the official communication published through the social media channels of Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov states that the package committed by the German government totals 5 billion euros, already approved by the Bundestag (the German parliament). Of this amount, around 2.2 billion euros will be allocated to contracts with Diehl Defence to fund the production of IRIS-T systems and their associated missiles. The broader package also includes “hundreds of millions of euros” to strengthen Ukraine’s local industry and for the procurement of medical supplies, which will also be manufactured in Kyiv.

Quoting some of Minister Umerov’s official statements: “I had an important meeting with my colleague and friend, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. We have concrete results: decisions that significantly strengthen our defense. Germany has announced a military aid package worth 5 billion euros. The funding has already been approved by the Bundestag (…) My sincere thanks to our partners for their leadership and consistent support for Ukraine in its resistance against Russian aggression.”

For its part, the German government provided additional details of the agreements through its own statement, in which it expressed that 2025 is expected to see the Ukrainian industry advance in the production of a significant number of long-range weapons systems. It further stated that this could begin without major difficulties in the short term, considering that the Ukrainian industry has unused production capacity, along with the technical expertise and resources to undertake such efforts.

Additionally, it was highlighted that the first IRIS-T air defense systems could be delivered in the coming weeks for integration into the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which will not require additional training to operate them, as these platforms are already part of their air defense infrastructure. Berlin also added that funding has been secured to maintain the satellite communication network used by Kyiv, which is crucial for coordinating operations involving the delivered systems.

*Images used for illustrative purposes only.

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