Berlin offers to buy US air defence system for Kyiv

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed by phone with US President Trump the possibility of purchasing Patriot air defence systems in the United States for transfer to Ukraine. The move follows a pause by the Pentagon in shipping certain Patriot missiles due to low stockpiles. Germany has already sent three Patriot systems from its own military stocks to Kyiv and is conducting “intensive talks” to acquire more batteries and quickly dispatch them to counter heavy Russian drone and missile attacks . Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is set to travel to Washington later this month to negotiate production and delivery processes .