In Kyiv, Pistorius announced the provision of €9B in military aid to Ukraine, though without Taurus missiles.

“Germany will participate in the financing of long-range weapons (drones and missiles). We must provide the finances for this so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can purchase materials. We planned to provide €4B in aid to Ukraine, then increased it to €7B and now we are considering an additional €1.9B,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at a briefing with President Zelenskyy.

However, when asked about the transfer of Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, Pistorius replied that this was not currently being considered.

The minister added: “In recent weeks, Putin has been particularly brutal in attacking civilian targets in Ukraine, using an incredible number of drones and missiles. No one can seriously assume that Putin is really interested in ceasefire or peace negotiations. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to continue supporting Ukraine”.

Pistorius added that Ukraine’s future will be linked to NATO: “At present, the decisions regarding Ukraine’s irreversible path to the Alliance, which were approved at previous summits, are unchanged.”

Zelenskyy, in turn, stressed that Kyiv is counting on the localization of German Iris-T air defense system production in Ukraine, and Ukrainian companies want to join the implementation of air defense projects in Germany.

As well, Ukraine has reached an agreement with Germany on the supply of Iris-T air defense systems for the next three years.