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Ambassador: Germany to supply Ukraine with another IRIS-T air defense system in May

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk May 13, 2024 11:46 PM 2 min read

A trade visitor looks at a Diehl IRIS-T SLS anti-aircraft weapon system at the ILA International Aerospace Exhibition on June 22, 2022, in Brandenburg, Germany. (Wolfgang Kumm/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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Berlin will provide Kyiv with another IRIS-T air defense system in May, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jager said on May 13.

Ukraine has asked international partners to deliver more air defense in the wake of a shortage and an increase in Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure since March.

Air defense systems like the Patriot and the IRIS-T are highly effective at intercepting Russia's ballistic and cruise missiles. Jager said that Ukraine already has a few IRIS-T systems in its arsenal.

Kyiv will also be provided with additional IRIS-T air defense systems later this year, as well as in 2025 and 2026, according to the ambassador.

Jager also noted that Berlin would send a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Its arrival is expected no earlier than late June.

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War Notes

Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S.

Berlin has previously provided IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine, including three IRIS-T SLM systems, with a range of up to 40 kilometers, and one IRIS-T SLS, with a range of up to 12 kilometers.

Germany also launched an initiative to boost Ukraine's air defenses in April. Canada and Belgium have already publicly pledged to the German-led initiative.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 6 that Ukraine needed 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the country's skies from Russian attacks.

Authors: Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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