Germany to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems this year

Baerbock stated that Berlin and partners will supply Ukraine with four additional IRIS-T systems and several Gepard self-propelled anti-air artillery systems. 

"Air defense remains our priority to protect lives in Ukraine," the German minister said.

She added that Germany is focused on helping Ukraine establish an air defense “umbrella” to minimize damage to critical infrastructure during the coming winter.

On Aug. 17, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported, citing sources, that the updated draft of Germany's 2025 budget does not include any additional military assistance to Ukraine. According to the newspaper, new requests from the German Defense Ministry will no longer be approved due to strict spending limits imposed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Finance Ministry.

On Aug. 28, Scholz reaffirmed that Berlin will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, both from its own budget and in cooperation with G7 countries.