Key Points
- Germany will supply Ukraine with several thousand more IRIS-T guided missiles, funded by the EU’s 90 billion euro loan package, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said September 8.
- Germany separately pledged PAC-2 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, while the EU agreed to buy 3.2 billion euros in Patriot missiles for Ukraine the same day.
Germany will supply Ukraine with several thousand more IRIS-T guided missiles, funded through the European Union’s 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan package for Kyiv, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said September 8.
Pistorius made the announcement ahead of a video conference of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the Ramstein-format meeting of Kyiv’s international backers, according to a correspondent for Ukrainian outlet Yevropeiska Pravda.
“I am glad that Ukraine will order several thousand more IRIS-T guided missiles, which will be financed through the EU’s defense loan for Ukraine,” Pistorius said.
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The IRIS-T is a German medium-range surface-to-air missile system built by Diehl Defence, designed to intercept aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. Germany has supplied Ukraine with IRIS-T batteries and missiles since 2022 and has said it will continue deliveries in the coming years.
“The medium-range IRIS-T air defense system has been used in Ukraine very, very successfully,” Pistorius said.
“We continue uninterrupted deliveries of IRIS-T air defense systems, including guided missiles,” he added.
The purchase will draw on the EU’s 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, which European leaders approved in December 2025 to cover Kyiv’s military and budget needs for 2026 and 2027. The loan is interest-free and backed by the EU’s common budget, after member states failed to agree on financing it through frozen Russian central bank assets instead.
Pistorius did not disclose the exact number of missiles Ukraine will order, their delivery timeline, or the total cost of the purchase.
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Germany also announced separately at the September 8 Ramstein meeting that it would transfer PAC-2 missiles to Ukraine from Bundeswehr stockpiles. The EU also agreed the same day to buy 3.2 billion euros worth of Patriot missiles for Ukraine.
Britain, for its part, is providing 100 million pounds ($135 million) for an air defense package under the PURL initiative, which funds Ukrainian purchases of U.S.-made weapons, ahead of the coming winter. That package includes Patriot missiles.
