Germany pushed back this week against President Donald Trump's claim that the U.S.-made Patriot missiles are already en route to Ukraine, stating it has no knowledge of any such shipments underway.
Trump made the assertion on July 16, telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews that Patriot missile systems were "already being shipped" from Germany to Ukraine and would be replaced through a NATO-coordinated arrangement, the Kyiv Independent reported. The president added that the weapons would be fully reimbursed by participating nations.
But Germany's Defense Ministry quickly contradicted that timeline. Speaking to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, a spokesperson said, "I cannot confirm that anything is currently on the way," and noted that a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) is scheduled for July 21 to work through unresolved details.
The confusion comes in light of mounting pressure from Ukraine, which has urgently requested additional air defense systems to counter intensifying Russian attacks. On July 14, German officials confirmed that discussions were ongoing with European allies about sending at least three Patriot systems to Kyiv.
Trump's remarks followed his unveiling of a new NATO-EU initiative under which member states would purchase U.S. weapons, deliver them to Ukraine and later replenish their stocks through agreements with Washington. The announcement also came on the heels of his threat to hit Russia with "severe" tariffs if it does not agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
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