German government urges US to provide Ukraine with another Patriot system - Bloomberg

Bloomberg reports.

According to sources, Germany's pressure campaign is part of a coordinated effort to force NATO and EU partners to increase assistance to Ukraine in the field of air defense. 

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck referred to the "extremely large number of drones and missiles" targeting Ukraine and called air defense the most urgent need for the Ukrainian military.

"If the Americans could send us Patriot systems, it would help a lot," Habeck said.

Other equipment Berlin is asking for are Samp/T surface-to-air systems, NASAMS and Hawk missiles, Iris-T systems, as well as spare parts and funding to support these efforts.

This week, Germany will also continue to press its European allies, including France and Italy, to see what they can do.

• On April 19, the Group of Seven countries announced their intention to strengthen Ukraine's air defense following a meeting in Cyprus. At the same time, the North Atlantic Alliance members pledged to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems.
• On April 21, the German government announced that it was already negotiating with other countries on new air defense commitments for Ukraine.
• On Sunday, April 21, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, announced that Norway would join the IAAD initiative to provide Ukraine with air defense systems.