Germany secures 35 Patriot missiles from European allies for Ukraine

Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has secured roughly 30 PAC-3 interceptor missiles from several European partners, with the total package for Ukraine expected to reach around 35 missiles once contributions from Bundeswehr stockpiles are added, Der Spiegel reports.

The arrangement traces back to an unusual proposal Pistorius made at a gathering of Ukraine's supporters ahead of the Munich Security Conference. Germany would contribute five PAC-3 missiles from its own reserves — on the condition that partner nations collectively supply 30 more. Several countries, including the Netherlands, signaled agreement at the time. The German Defense Ministry has now confirmed the deal is moving forward, telling Spiegel the result "is close to the planned target." For security reasons, the ministry declined to specify the exact size of the package or the delivery timeline.

According to figures known to German officers from their Ukrainian counterparts, Ukraine burns through approximately 60 Patriot missiles per month. That puts the incoming package at roughly two weeks' worth of coverage. "The ministry makes no illusions that the hectic search for Patriot missiles will continue," Spiegel notes.

The global shortage of PAC-3 missiles has been worsened by the conflict in the Middle East. Following US-Israeli airstrikes that began in late February, Iran repeatedly struck US bases and neighboring countries with missiles and drones. Experts estimate several hundred PAC-3 missiles have been expended in those exchanges — at up to four million euros per intercept. The drain has forced the United States to prioritize replenishing its own stocks, which support around 60 Patriot systems deployed globally. Washington stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine under the Trump administration and is currently not in a position to redirect interceptors there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had flagged the problem publicly. He stated that during just three days of fighting in the Middle East, 800 PAC-3 missiles were used — more than Ukraine had received throughout the entire full-scale war. He also noted that a previous shipment arrived a full month late, the day after a major Russian strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, due to what he described as a payment delay under the PURL procurement program.

The Patriot system remains, in Spiegel's words, "more or less the only defense against ballistic missiles from Russia." While Ukraine has increasingly relied on other systems to counter drone swarms, it depends on Patriot to protect critical infrastructure, including power substations and Kyiv.

The German Defense Ministry said the effort will not stop with this package. Beyond the current delivery, Germany will supply Ukraine with "further air defense assets such as Manpads, AIM-9 and Iris-T missiles, and spare parts packages for Patriot and Iris-T," a ministry spokesman said, adding that Berlin will continue supporting the development of air defense production capacity inside Ukraine.