German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed by phone with US President Donald Trump yesterday Germany's proposal to buy American Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine, a German government spokesman said today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Merz initiated the conversation with Trump to promote the supply of weapons to Ukraine, especially Patriot systems, after the Pentagon suspended some deliveries, the spokesman told the agency.
The magazine "Spiegel" first reported the phone call between the two leaders.
Germany is holding "intensive talks" to buy Patriot systems for Ukraine to help it counter some of the heaviest Russian attacks since the start of the war in 2022.
The United States has suspended deliveries of some key weapons to Ukraine due to dwindling stockpiles, sources told Reuters this week.
Germany has sent three Patriot systems to US-made from its own stocks to Ukraine, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius last month taking the initiative to deliver more such systems to Ukraine.
Ukraine is increasingly in need of air defense systems to destroy the high-speed ballistic missiles with which Russia is attacking it.
"The problem is urgent and on the night of Thursday to Friday things got even worse", the German spokesman said, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Chancellor Merz sees a connection between Putin's conversation with Trump yesterday and the subsequent massive air attack on Ukraine, the spokesman also said, quoted by DPA. The chancellor has noted several times in recent days that there is "a regularity with the Russian president and that phone calls with him are usually accompanied by even more severe attacks", the spokesman pointed out. The US president and the Russian head of state spoke yesterday after Ukrainian authorities reported more than 500 Russian attacks on Ukraine with drones, missiles and cruise missiles.