Germany to deliver additional air defence supplies to Ukraine

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about Ukraine’s air-defence systems. Germany is one of the leading European suppliers of military aid to Ukraine.

“We have now discussed the delivery of another IRIS-T system as well as future work on the development of our air shield,” Zelenskyy said. “We have also discussed the Ramstein format, a collaboration that has greatly benefited Ukraine and all our partners. It is our collective strength.”

The Ramstein format, also called the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, is an alliance of 57 countries that support the defence of Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion. In his address, Zelenskyy said “Ukraine is grateful to all our partners who help us with anti-missile and air-defence systems,” and that Kyiv is working to further increase the supply of such systems from its allies.

“The strategic goal is to reach a practical level of cooperation with our partners that will enable us to produce the air-defence and anti-missile systems we need here in Ukraine.”

Moscow launched a large attack on Kyiv on Wednesday for the first time in 73 days, using a combination of missiles and drones.

Eight regions across Ukraine were attacked in total, with Russia firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, according to the Ukrainian air force.

“Every night and every day, we are shooting down Russian shaheds and missiles. This morning, a Russian ballistic missile was shot down. This is significant,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address.

Meanwhile, several media are reporting that Ukraine’s military said Kupiansk remains under its control as it has stopped Russian advances on the Ukrainian city. Russia seized Kupiansk in February 2022, but it was reclaimed by Ukrainian forces some months later.