Politico: Germany's plan to strengthen Ukrainian air defense failed
Germany's plan to strengthen the Ukrainian air defense failed, writes Politico. The European allies refused to follow Berlin's example and send the Patriot air defense system to Kiev. And there is a simple explanation for this.
BERLIN — In response to Ukraine's requests to supply it with more air defense systems, Germany promised to send its own anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as seek help from other allied countries. But almost no one followed Berlin's example.
He promised Kiev three of his 11 American-made Patriot air defense system batteries, as well as 50 shorter-range Cheetah anti-aircraft self-propelled guns and air-to-air missiles capable of resisting attacks by ballistic missiles, guided bombs and drones on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure facilities.
Senior German politicians, first of all, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, have been putting pressure on the allies for several weeks, seeking from them to fulfill their obligations to transfer the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.
Increasing such supplies is an "absolute priority," Burbok said on Tuesday during a trip to Kiev. According to her, Berlin has raised one billion euros to protect Ukraine from the air.
But the reaction of other countries is disappointing.
Germany has been advertising its initiative called "Immediate Air Defense Actions" for a month, which was first reported by POLITICO. But the partner countries are unwilling to send urgently needed anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, as reported by sources familiar with the negotiations.
The German initiative also covers alternative systems such as SAMP/T, NASAMS, HAWK, IRIS-T and S-300 air defense systems. But the Patriot systems developed by Raytheon are the most effective in combating aerial targets. Their advantages are quite obvious, and the Ukrainian military has already learned how to work in combat on this wheelbase launcher, on its radar and with its interceptor missiles.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clearly stated that "there are systems that can be delivered to Ukraine."
But it is very difficult to coordinate the work on their supply to the armed forces of Ukraine.
"There is no pan—European leadership, and there is no unity between the main participants," said former chief of staff of the German Ministry of Defense Nico Lange, now a researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). "There is no sense of urgency anymore, there is only a sense of relief that the Americans have resumed supplies."
Very few missile systems are being shipped to the east, and countries are making fewer commitments.
The German Ministry of Defense said Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands have pledged funding, while France, Spain, Romania, Lithuania, Belgium, the United States and Britain have committed to supply equipment and missiles.
The Ministry added that Latvia also wants to join this program.
Games with the Patriots
One of the reasons for this reluctance to supply Patriot air defense systems is their high cost.One complex costs about a billion dollars, and the interceptor missile it launches costs millions.
Moreover, countries are unwilling to sacrifice their own air defenses for supplies to Ukraine, as told by researcher Fabian Hoffmann, who specializes in rocket technology and works at the University of Oslo.
"Due to the support of Ukraine, Germany has a huge problem in its defense potential," he said. — The execution time of the order for the supply of the Patriot air defense system is very long."
If we talk about other European countries with Patriot batteries, Spain and Greece have so far refused to transfer their systems, although Madrid is sending missiles to Ukraine. Poland, which is the most important transit corridor for arms supplies to Kiev, also refused to give it one of its complexes. Prime Minister Donald Tusk explained this by the lack of a replacement.
Romania, bordering Ukraine, received a request from American President Joe Biden for the supply of Patriot air defense systems, as stated by the country's President Klaus Iohannis.
"I have to discuss this with the Romanian Supreme Defense Council to understand what systems we can offer and what we can get in return. It is unacceptable to leave Romania without air defense," Iohannis said this month during a visit to the White House.
Neutral Switzerland has ordered five batteries of the Patriot air defense system, but so far it has not given any signals about its readiness to transfer to the east those systems that it is going to decommission.
The problem is that countries are in no hurry to place replacement orders, which creates a queue, and, according to some estimates, it takes more than two years to wait in it.
"They want a one-to-one replacement from NATO countries," Hoffman said.
There is a solution to the problem, he said. Those countries that have ordered Patriots can give up their place in the queue to those who are ready to transfer the systems they have in service to Ukraine.
Authors: Joshua Posaner, Paul McLeary
