German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed at a briefing that Berlin and London are jointly developing an additional air defense plan for Ukraine. According to him, the situation remains "complex": a limited number of Patriot systems and guided missiles for them are coming from the United States, while Germany's own production of PAC-2 GEM-T interceptors is just gathering pace. Pistorius emphasized that the issue of urgently transferring missiles from the national stocks of allies was already discussed last week in Paris at a meeting of defense ministers from five European countries.
Roadmap to Ramstein
The next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, known as "Ramstein," is scheduled for November 17 at NATO headquarters in Brussels. It is being co-chaired by Britain and Germany. According to RBC-Ukraine, Berlin and London intend to prepare a roadmap specifically by this date for other partners who will be able to strengthen Ukraine's air defense in the coming months. The British side, in turn, stated that it is also exploring additional assistance options and working to involve other allies in the joint plan.
Kyiv's Specific Request: 10% of Interceptor Stocks
Ukraine is coming to the upcoming Ramstein meeting with a clear formulation. Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara called on partners to transfer 10% of their available interceptor missile stocks, including Patriot and IRIS-T systems. Kyiv intends to finance these supplies through a loan provided by the European Union. Thus, the issue comes down not so much to political will as to logistics and the availability of ammunition in allied arsenals.
The American Factor: Signature Delay and Multi-Year PAC-3 Horizon
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that Ukraine has been waiting for almost a month for Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth's signature on the supply of missiles for Patriot and NASAMS systems. At the same time, 500 PAC-3 missiles approved by the State Department in late October may, according to estimates, begin arriving on Ukrainian territory only in a few years. This gap between the political decision and actual logistics essentially defines Europe's motivation to shoulder part of the air defense burden.
Context: Production and Regional Initiatives
Against the backdrop of ammunition shortages, several EU countries are intensifying their own production programs. Germany is undergoing the process of licensed production for Patriot missiles, but, as Pistorius noted, full-scale production is just beginning. Earlier, Poland offered to host a plant on its territory to produce missiles for Patriot systems. Political analysts, in turn, point out that even the transfer of interceptors remaining in European armies will not fully solve the problem, since the volume of Russian air pressure remains high, and the winter period is traditionally accompanied by increased attacks.
