According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Patriot air defense systems in Germany is an important contribution to supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia.
Ukraine is currently the most dependent on air defense systems, Pistorius said on Wednesday during a visit to the military training base in northern Germany.
The training of Ukrainian soldiers by the Bundeswehr is an important sign for Ukraine that Germany is on their side, the minister said.
Pistorius was shown the training situation on site in a Patriot simulator. The training takes place at a unit of the weapon system. In addition to the launchers from which the missiles are fired, this includes a radar unit and a fire control area in which the soldiers control the missions.
The head of the Ukrainian unit being trained said this could only happen so effectively outside Ukraine. He did not think it made much sense to move the training from Germany to Ukraine.
“This works much better in a peaceful country. There is no place in Ukraine that is safe,” said the soldier, who did not want to be named.
So far, Germany has supplied Ukraine with two Patriot systems and their associated missiles. A third copy has been promised to Ukraine and will be delivered soon. According to Pistorius, this was done in the knowledge that Germany would have given up a quarter of its Patriot capabilities.
However, a new tender contract had already started a few weeks ago. Deliveries should start in 2026 to bring Germany back to the required level.
Pistorius was cautious about the discussion of allowing Ukraine to use German-supplied weapons on Russian territory.
“In the interests of military tactics and strategy, it must be clear that we should not publicly discuss what is possible, what is allowed and what we would or would not like to see,” he said.
