Germany says it has no more Patriots to spare for Ukraine

Germany's Patriot pipeline to Ukraine has hit a wall. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin simply cannot send more of the air defense systems right now, because doing so would leave gaps in Germany's own defenses that it cannot afford, according to Ukrinform. Berlin has already handed over several Patriot systems along with missiles to go with them.

Pistorius used the moment to point a finger at other allies, noting that several countries have chipped in far less than Germany and urging them to boost their deliveries. He said the whole question will get a serious hearing at the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in mid-November. That gathering now looks like the next real test of who is willing to open their stockpiles.

The shortage is biting on the interceptor side too. On November 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Pistorius about speeding up deliveries of German-made PAC-2 missiles for Patriot systems, as Ukrinform reported, with Kyiv short on interceptors.

Pistorius is also pouring cold water on the diplomatic track. He said the last few months offer little reason to hope that the Trump administration's actions will quickly produce a ceasefire or peace, ahead of talks set for November 10-11 involving representatives from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington.

Any U.S.-Russia deal struck without Ukraine at the table and at Ukraine's expense would be a non-starter for Kyiv and for European capitals, Pistorius warned. He also asked who would actually guarantee Ukraine's security and enforce any agreement reached that way. In his words, nobody can expect Europeans to take that on if they are not even part of the process, adding that Donald Trump understands this too.