Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had asked Germany to deliver additional "IRIS-T" air defense systems to counter heavy Russian attacks with missiles and drones, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky added that he had discussed the issue at a meeting in the Ukrainian capital Kiev with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful. At the beginning of the visit, his first to Kiev since taking office in early May, the German top diplomat inspected an "IRIS-T" air defense system (IRIS-T), which plays a vital role in protecting Kiev from Russian air strikes.
As of April this year, Germany had provided Ukraine with 6 such systems and had promised 10 more.
During his surprise visit to Kiev, Wadeful was accompanied by senior representatives of German defense companies, DPA notes. During his meeting with him, Zelensky expressed interest in expanding cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense. He mentioned that up to 20 new partnerships could be concluded in the coming days, although he did not provide further details.
Wadeful described the fact that German defense companies are already operating in Ukraine and Ukrainian companies are operating in Germany as a win-win situation.
"We learn from this. Both sides win and show that our security is interconnected, and we can also benefit economically. "This is a good thing and we want to expand it," Vaddeful stressed.