No direct US deliveries: Spiegel reveals NATO's secret weapons plan for Ukraine
Photo: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The United States will not supply weapons directly to Ukraine. Instead, NATO member states will transfer equipment from their own arsenals and later replenish their stockpiles, Der Spiegel reports.
According to the media outlet, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has spent months working to secure a deal acceptable to the United States for supplying weapons to Ukraine. His idea is that the US would continue supplying arms, particularly air defense systems, while European countries cover the bill.
According to Spiegel, Pistorius first mentioned the idea during a phone call with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the end of April. He asked what it would look like if Germany bought two Patriot air defense systems from the US and delivered them directly to Ukraine.
At first, there was no response. But since then, Pistorius has repeatedly brought up the topic - at the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, the NATO summit in The Hague, and during his first visit to the Pentagon on July 14.
On the same day, US President Donald Trump abruptly shifted his rhetoric, announcing that several countries in possession of US-made Patriot systems would transfer them to Ukraine and later replenish them. Trump said the systems could be deployed "very quickly."
Following his meeting with Hegseth, Pistorius stated that they discussed the transfer of two Patriot systems and possible additional ways to support Ukraine with air defense capabilities. According to the report, the most favorable solution for Germany would be supplying the systems either directly from US arsenals or via defense contractors.
However, while in Washington, Pistorius also made it clear that Berlin is open to another option: having the Bundeswehr transfer systems to Ukraine, which could later be replaced by deliveries from the U.S.
According to the report, the German Defense Minister is also continuing an initiative he launched last year—collecting funds from Ukraine's international partners to procure air defense systems. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that Finland, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Denmark are planning to join the effort.
Weapons for Ukraine
US President Donald Trump recently changed his position on military aid for Ukraine. Earlier, he stated that the US would send Patriot systems to Ukraine, and that EU countries would cover the cost.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, Trump announced the transfer of 17 Patriot systems to Ukraine, saying they could be deployed rapidly.
Rutte later confirmed that Trump had promised to provide Ukraine with weapons worth "billions of dollars."
According to media reports, Trump is also considering transferring JASSM and even Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine - systems capable of striking Russia's Moscow and St. Petersburg.
