Baerbock: The billion euros already collected by partners is insufficient to strengthen Ukrainian air defense

The funds of nearly 1 billion euros collected by international partners to strengthen Ukraine's air defense are currently insufficient.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated this at a joint press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on May 21.

Baerbock emphasized that the world must protect Ukraine from air attacks, through which Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is deliberately destroying Ukraine's civilian infrastructure in an attempt to cripple the country's economy and kill its people.

She reiterated that Germany would support Ukraine for as long as necessary. The German minister added that the war has entered a new dimension over the past two years: through the systematic destruction of Ukraine's energy system, Russia and Putin are trying to destroy the Ukrainian economy and kill Ukrainians.

"It is now absolutely clear: Putin has no compass of humanity. And the more decisively and unitedly we must stand for humanity," said the German diplomat.

In this context, she named the strengthening of Ukrainian air defense as an absolute priority and reported that international friends of Ukraine have already collected almost 1 billion euros for this purpose, but this is not enough. She took the opportunity to call on international partners worldwide to provide additional air defense systems to protect not only large cities but also infrastructure, as any delay costs innocent lives in Ukraine and also threatens European security. Baerbock also addressed German politicians influencing budget decisions. The minister noted that since the beginning of the war, Germany has provided Ukraine with comprehensive assistance amounting to 34 billion euros.

It was reported that Germany leads the coalition to strengthen Ukraine's air defense within the Ramstein format. At the initiative of the heads of the German Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry – Annalena Baerbock and Boris Pistorius – efforts are underway to find Patriot systems in all countries that have them, but so far without success. To set an example, Berlin has promised to supply Ukraine with a third battery of American-made Patriot systems in addition to the two previously delivered.

Germany is the second-largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. In 2023, Berlin provided military aid to Ukraine amounting to about 5 billion euros, and this year the budget allocated over 7 billion euros for these purposes, but it has been revealed that this amount is nearly exhausted. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius requested an additional 3.8 billion euros from the Ministry of Finance, with a decision expected in June.

In the morning, Baerbock visited one of Ukraine's largest power plants with Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Halushchenko informed the minister about the situation at the power plant, which was destroyed in mid-April.