Germany pledges $500M for Ukraine’s air defense and U.S. weapons supply

The announcement was made by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting in Brussels, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Pistorius said Germany is joining the PURL initiative for the fourth time, which funds the procurement of U.S.-made weapons and ammunition for Ukraine.

"Through PURL, we are financing American weapons systems and ammunition that Ukraine urgently needs, that can be delivered more quickly, and that are not produced in Europe. In this case, it is again primarily about urgently needed ammunition for air defense systems. This allows us to save lives every single night and every single day. This time our contribution amounts to $300 million," he said.

He also announced a new German contribution to the Jumpstart program, which supports the purchase of specialized missiles for Patriot systems.

"My Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov asked me to support the so-called Jumpstart program. It is primarily aimed at securing the purchase of guided missiles for Patriot systems. We have agreed to participate and allocate $200 million for PAC-3 missiles," Pistorius said.

The German Defense Minister added that Berlin aims to encourage other members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to contribute to funding PAC-3 missile purchases for Ukraine’s air defense.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian and German defense officials discussed priority areas of support ahead of the next Ramstein meeting.