Reconstruction conference: Berlin wants to buy Patriots for Ukraine from USA

Germany wants to buy air defense systems of the Patriot air defense systems to make them available to Ukraine against Russia in the war. This was announced by Chancellor Friedrich Merz at an international reconstruction conference in Rome. According to reports, it is about two systems.

Ukraine demands more help from the west for air defense in order to be able to counter the massive Russian shelling with drones and rockets. In the night of Thursday alone, Kiev and the surrounding area were again the destination of more than 400 attacks.

Merz referred to a phone call to US President Donald Trump. In it he “also asked him to deliver these systems”. Now negotiates between Berlin and Washington. How many systems Berlin wants to buy, he did not say at a press date.

Germany has already massively supported Ukraine with air defense systems of different types. The Patriots (“Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target”) are among the most modern air defense systems in the world. Trump had already indicated that they were ready for a delivery.

Rubio takes on Europeans

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also takes on Europeans. Several countries in Europe are in the possession of the Patriot systems, said Rubio after a conversation with his Russian colleague Sergei Lawrow in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Among other things, he referred to Spain and Germany. There are other options: “Countries that have ordered Patriot systems that are about to receive deliveries with them.” It would be great if one of these countries would agree to send the delivery to Ukraine instead, said Rubio. He did not say which countries are doing.

New billion aids for reconstruction

At the center of the meeting in Rome, however, there is civil help for Ukraine, which is severely drawn after more than three years of Russian war of attack. Another billions were launched, including a new European fund with the participation of the private sector. The money should flow in particular into the repair and new construction of energy systems, but also in industrial companies and digital data centers. Merz emphasized that the moral of the Ukrainians should also be strengthened.

According to Berlin, the new fund comprises one billion euros. The EU Commission spoke of more than 2.3 billion. So far, more than 16 billion euros have been mobilized in the context of four reconstruction conferences in recent years – which will still not be enough. The World Bank estimates the total costs for reconstruction to more than 500 billion. The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal even called a sum of 850 billion.

Resentment in Italy about Macron and Starmer

Around 60 countries and international organizations and private companies are also involved in the two -day meeting. At the same time, there was a video count in the military “coalition of the willing”, which is run by France and Great Britain. In Italy caused some displeasure that neither President Emmanuel Macron nor Prime Minister Keir Karrmer personally came to Rome.

The two were switched on from London, where Macron was on a state visit. The plans for a European -managed peacekeeping after a ceasefire for Ukraine are ready, they assured.

Peace protection could take action within hours after an armistice came into force, Macron said. The coalition consists of 30 countries that hundreds of soldiers have been mobilized and a general staff is being built up. According to the talks, representatives of the US government also took part in the talks. However, a ceasefire in Ukraine is currently not foreseeable.

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj in Rome promoted to form a “coalition for reconstruction” in addition to military aid. “Ukraine needs investments. Everything we build to protect Ukraine protects it too,” he said in his speech. The role model is to be the Marshall plan with which the United States helped Europe after the Second World War. He once again accused the Russian President Vladimir Putin to cover his country with “pure terror”. “Putin has only two allies: terror and winter.”

Merz assures “unshakable” support

Merz assured Selenskyj further German help: “Our support for her country is steadfast.” He said to Putin’s address: “Russia has to understand that it will not prevail militarily.” At the same time, the CDU boss appealed to Trump not to let Europe down. “Stay with us and stay with the Europeans. We are on the same side.” The US President keeps paying doubts about his support for Kiev – even if he recently accused Putin of talking “bullshit”.

The EU also wants to increase the pressure on Russia through sanctions to get to the negotiating table. Another package of punitive measures is currently in preparation – the 18th. On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV offered at a meeting with Selenskyj that peace talks could take place in the Vatican. However, there is no evidence that this could happen in the foreseeable future.

New Russian attacks at night

Germany has provided direct civil support of around 34 billion euros and around 38 billion euros in military support since the beginning of the war in February 2022. In addition, there is the German share of the European Union.

According to Ukrainian information, the Russian army flew massive attacks with around 400 drones and more than a dozen rockets, especially to the capital Kiev and the surrounding area. At least two people were killed. A dpa reporter reported from several waves of attack from Kyiv. In the center of the three million city, there was a violent aircraft fire.

According to the Russian authorities, a woman was killed by Ukrainian fire in the Russian border area of ​​Belgorod. The Ukraine also attacks goals in Russia as part of its defense fight. There are always dead and injuries. The victims and damage are out of proportion to the devastating consequences of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.