WP: Germany will send Patriot systems to Ukraine, and in return will buy them from the US

Germany will send Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine, and in return will buy the same ones from the United States.

This is reported by The Washington Post, citing a senior White House official.

According to the publication, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is currently in Washington and will meet with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on July 14, US time. The NATO Secretary General also spoke about their meeting, but did not specify the date.

At the same time, Trump said that some Patriot systems would be "exchanged for the ones we have", and the rest would be sent to Ukraine.

“We have one country that has 17 Patriot systems. It’s being shipped, a large number of those 17 will go to the battlefield. It can be done quickly,” Trump said, adding that some Patriot systems will be in Ukraine “very soon — in fact, within a few days”. However, the US president did not specify either the exact number or the country that has the 17 systems.

In general, the plan that the US has agreed to with NATO envisages that European countries will transfer weapons, including Patriot systems, to Ukraine from their existing stockpiles so that they can be used as soon as possible. These countries will then purchase replacements from the US.

The same senior White House official also told WP about the restrictions Trump plans to impose on Russia if it does not reach an agreement with Ukraine within 50 days. This includes a 100 percent tariff on imports of Russian goods, as well as secondary 100 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, and other energy products.

However, there is currently a bill in the US that would impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy energy products from Russia. The Senate believes it will consider it by the end of the month.

What is known about weapons for Ukraine?

Trump, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, announced that he had reached an agreement to supply weapons to Ukraine. They did not specify what weapons or how much they were talking about. However, Trump spoke of “state-of-the-art weapons” worth “billions of dollars”, while Rutte emphasized that the agreement included both ammunition and missiles.

Trump says that at NATOʼs suggestion, the US will approach Germany and send "early deliveries of missiles". The US president also said that some Patriot systems will be in Ukraine "very soon — in a matter of days, in fact". According to Trump, the costs will be covered by NATO members, not the US.

After Trump reported the deal, Axios, citing sources, reported that the United States would sell nearly $10 billion worth of weapons to NATO allies for further deliveries to Ukraine. And thatʼs just the first phase.

Trump also threatened “tough tariffs” on Russia on July 14 if it does not reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days. The US president has previously threatened Russia with sanctions, but has never imposed them.

• A few days ago, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the country would not be able to provide Ukraine with more American Patriot air defense systems. Germany has 6 of them. At the same time, Berlin said it was ready to buy two Patriot systems from the United States for Ukraine — this option was discussed with the American side.
• According to Zelensky, Norway is ready to finance another Patriot system for Ukraine.

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