Ukraine Awaits 11 More IRIS-T Air Defence Systems from Germany
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, has revealed how many more IRIS-T air defence systems Ukraine is set to receive from Berlin.
The Gaze reports on this, referring to his interview with European Pravda.
Makeyev said that Ukraine had ordered a total of 18 IRIS-T SLM systems: 12 were ordered, plus four, plus two.
According to him, Ukraine has currently received seven of them.
‘I would like to emphasise that each system currently being manufactured for us in Germany includes three SLM launchers, i.e. medium-range, and two SLS launchers, i.e. short-range. This is a single complex,’ he said.
When asked about the Patriot air defence systems and how many Ukraine expects to receive thanks to German support, the ambassador noted that this number is currently changing.
"We first asked the Germans to buy two systems for us in the United States. After the meeting in Ramstein, it was publicly announced that the partners are trying to find five systems. However, in reality, we need ten or more," he said.
According to Makeyev, five or ten systems refer to the total pool of European countries that have agreed to help Ukraine.
"I think it will become known who has financed how much. First and foremost, we are talking about orders, i.e. production – however, it is possible that someone will agree to give up the existing system earlier in order to receive a new one from production," he added.
As is known, since the beginning of the German government headed by Friedrich Merz, Germany no longer publishes information about new arms deliveries to Ukraine. Official Kyiv also does not disclose data on German aid received.
Information leaked to the media about a non-public list of weapons that Ukraine would like to receive from Germany as military aid. The list included four new IRIS-T fire units.
In June, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany would provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth €1.9 billion.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Germany will maintain its full military support for Ukraine and deepen its long-term commitment to strengthening the country's defence capabilities, according to Major General Christian Freuding, Head of the Ukrainian-German Situation Centre at the German Federal Ministry of Defence.