Ukraine expects additional Patriot system from Germany - Shmyhal
Ukraine expects Germany to provide an additional Patriot air defense system and increase funding for defense assistance as part of Germany's budget planning for 2024.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this during a press conference at the Sixth German-Ukrainian Economic Forum, commenting on the results of a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
"We touched upon several extremely important topics. In particular, the supply of weapons for Ukraine. Most of all, we need air defense systems to protect our energy facilities, civilian infrastructure, sea and river ports. We expect to receive an additional Patriot system from Germany," he said.
Shmyhal emphasized that Germany is one of the leaders in support in terms of supplying air defense systems. According to him, Ukraine is currently using IRIS-T and Gepard, "which have proven themselves to be of high quality and protect our airspace, our sky."
"We need and hope to increase funding for defense assistance as part of Germany's budget planning for 2024," Shmyhal added.
As reported, the Sixth German-Ukrainian Economic Forum has started in Berlin, bringing together more than 500 representatives of politics and business. The forum is held under the slogan 'Recovery, Smart Growth and Security'.