By Euronews with AP
Published on
US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth welcomed his German counterpart to the Pentagon on Monday.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorious was greeted with an honour cordon before holding bilateral talks with Hegseth, where they were expected to have discussed the transfer of Patriot missile systems.
The meeting came after US President Donald Trump hosted NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House.
Trump said NATO members would purchase “billions and billions” of dollars’ worth of US weaponry, including Patriot missiles, and transfer the munitions to Ukraine under a near deal aimed at helping Kyiv defend itself against Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion.
He said the move should serve as a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is serious about bringing the war to an end.
The US is also ready to implement 100% tariffs on Russia in response to Putin’s lack of interest in ending the war in Ukraine, which could kick in in 50 days, according to Trump.
“We’ve spent $250 billion on this war … and we want to see it end. I am disappointed in Putin because I thought we’d have a deal two months ago,” he added.
The Patriot missile system can detect and intercept a wide range of oncoming air targets, high-end ballistic missiles in particular, and is regarded as one of the world’s best, at a time when Moscow is increasing its nightly missile and drone attacks amid its all-out war against Ukraine, now well into its fourth year.
Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on Thursday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Germany would pay for two of the systems, while Norway has agreed to supply one.
Other European partners have also said they are prepared to help, Zelenskyy said.