The German government has announced plans to supply Ukraine with additional air defense systems, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. The sources revealed that Germany will send Ukraine one additional IRIS-T air defense system and over 10 Gepard anti-aircraft guns. It is expected that this weaponry will be delivered to the Ukrainian army by the end of this year.
The additional IRIS-T systems will be provided as they are produced. On October 2nd, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that careful consideration is always given to decisions regarding arms deliveries to Ukraine, in order to avoid further escalation between NATO and Russia.
Prior to this, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on partners to supply Ukraine with existing air defense systems during the winter. She also emphasized that the German authorities intend to expand their support for Kyiv with IRIS-T systems in the coming months.
On September 7th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the reinforcement of air defense systems in the Odessa region during a phone call with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Earlier, the US acknowledged the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive.
