The move comes as a result of the last Ukraine Defence Contact Group
Germany will supply Ukraine with four more fire units of the IRIS-T SLM Medium Range air defence systems, the German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in a video conference during last week’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
The missiles have been in service for more than two decades and were produced by Diehl Defence, Avio Spa, Litton Italia and Leonardo.
The body, in which the participating nations coordinate their (mainly military) aid to Ukraine, was gathering countries for its 17th time on 22 November. The German systems are of a broader €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) package and will be supplied starting from 2025.
As part of the package, Germany will also provide drones and drone defence systems, mine clearance vehicles, satellite communication, radars, equipment for electronic combat, anti-tank control mines, and other shots of artillery ammunition, among other things.
Germany will continue to be reliably at the side of Ukraine “now and in the long term”, Pistorius said during the meeting.
Germany is the biggest European supplier of military aid in Europe and the second worldwide behind the US, and the aid is likely to increase in 2024, according to some media reports. Besides Germany, other member states of the Group launched further military assistance to Ukraine.
