Europe did not support Germany’s initiative to transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine – Politico

“Germany’s Initiative for Ukrainian Air Defense Fails”

An article with this headline was published by Politico.

The publication states that Berlin attempted to aid Ukraine by promising to deliver three of its Patriot missile systems and spent a month urging allies to follow its example. However, “almost no one” responded.

Spain, Greece, and Poland declined. Romania promised to consider it. Switzerland ordered five new systems but did not mention any plans to send anything to Ukraine.

“There is no European leadership or unity among the main players. The sense of urgency has not increased; rather, there is a sense of relief that the Americans are fulfilling their commitments again,” said Nico Lange, former chief of staff at the German Ministry of Defense and now a senior fellow at the think tank CEPA.

Experts cite the high cost—about a billion dollars per system and millions per missile—as one of the reasons Western countries are reluctant to send Patriots to Ukraine. Additionally, countries do not want to weaken their own air defenses, as the production of new systems takes a long time.