The United States has decided to send its next Patriot air defence system to Germany instead of Switzerland, in a move aimed at speeding up the delivery of missile batteries to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported the change on July 18, citing three US officials. This decision follows an announcement from the Swiss Defence Ministry, which said its delivery of US Patriot systems would be delayed after the State Department chose to prioritise support for Ukraine. Now, the Patriot system, coming off the production line, will be sent to Germany. In return, Berlin will send two of its own Patriots to Kyiv, the report said.

Trump’s new arms plan for Ukraine starts to take shape

This marks the first time since Donald Trump voiced support for more military aid to Ukraine that the Pentagon has helped facilitate the process. On 7 July, Trump backed new weapons support, and by 14 July, he had announced a plan to send arms through a NATO- and EU-backed scheme. Under this plan, alliance members will buy US-made weapons for Ukraine. When outlining the plan, Trump claimed that Patriot systems and missiles could reach Ukraine “within days”.

One senior US official told the WSJ that Washington will negotiate separate deals with each NATO country. These deals will include both offensive and defensive weapons, with countries giving the weapons to Ukraine and then buying replacements from the US.

NATO allies line up behind the new strategy

Germany, the UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Canada have all agreed to back the new approach, a NATO official said. However, there is some confusion on the ground. On 16 July, Trump said Patriot missiles were already being shipped from Germany to Ukraine. But Germany’s Defence Ministry responded that it had no information about such a shipment. The report did not mention when the two German Patriots would reach Ukraine.

Patriot systems critical as Ukraine faces nightly missile strikes

Ukraine’s demand for more air defences has become desperate in recent weeks, as Russia continues its missile and drone attacks on cities across the country. Civilians have been killed and wounded in large numbers, with existing Ukrainian defences stretched thin.

So far, the US has sent three Patriot batteries to Ukraine, while Germany has delivered three more. A European coalition has provided one additional system, though some are temporarily out of action due to maintenance. US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on 17 July that the United States is “moving with haste” to push through the deliveries under Trump’s new weapons strategy.