Breaking: Germany to send additional Patriot system to Ukraine - DW

The system comes from Bundeswehr stocks and is to be handed over immediately, the German ministry of defence said.

The German government said Saturday it would send an additional Patriot missile system to help Ukraine's military fend off increased Russian airstrikes.

"Russian terror against Ukrainian cities and the country's infrastructure is causing immeasurable suffering," said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, announcing the move.

"It is jeopardising people's energy supply and destroying the operational readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces."

It will be the third Patriot system that Berlin has supplied to Kyiv, with the defence ministry saying the decision was taken at the request of the Ukrainian government and in coordination with allies.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday, reaffirming his "unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in the face of massive and ongoing Russian airstrikes, particularly on civilian energy infrastructure," a German government spokesman said.

As well as discussing Germany's delivery of a new Patriot system, Scholz and Zelensky agreed that "further efforts by partners are also required" to boost Ukraine's air defence, the spokesman said.