President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday evening that Germany has decided to transfer the Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine, for which, according to the Kyiv leader, whole generations of Ukrainians will thank Chancellor Scholz, news.ro notes. Poland previously asked Germany to hand over defense equipment to Kyiv after Berlin offered Warsaw Patriot systems following an incident involving a stray missile on the border with Ukraine. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, present at the NATO meeting in Bucharest, again called for advanced air defense systems, mentioning among other things the advanced Patriot system.

“Today we had a new meeting of the General Staff. The main problems are Donetsk region, Luhansk region, Kharkiv region, Zaporizhzhia region, Kherson region, Crimea, frontline territories and our state border. We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and are preparing a countermeasure – an even stronger countermeasure than now,” Zelenskyy said in a video message that he sends to Ukrainians every evening.

He stated that a new supply of the military is being prepared and the supply of new equipment and ammunition is being considered.

“We held a separate meeting on energy and communications issues. We are recording the results of what has already been done to protect our systems. We are preparing new solutions. We are also preparing new solutions to prevent any possibility for Russia to manipulate the internal life of Ukraine. We will inform you of the details in time,” Zelenskyi said.

The Ukrainian leader said that he has “two very important international news” for Ukrainians. One is related to Canada, which issued special bonds for 500 million Canadian dollars to support the national debt of Ukraine, and the other is from Germany, where the Bundestag recognized the Holomodor (a great famine of Ukrainians during Stalin’s time) as genocide.

“I would like to note one more decision of Germany, which will certainly become historic – to transfer the Patriot system to Ukraine. All generations of Ukrainians will thank Chancellor Scholz, as well as a whole generation of modern German politicians,” Zelenskyy added at the end of his message, without providing other details.

Ukraine asked for defense systems

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone with Volodymyr Zelensky, to whom he promised that Germany would supply Ukraine with more Gepard anti-aircraft tanks.

According to Reuters, Scholz told reporters on Tuesday that Germany’s offer to transfer its Patriot air defense system to Poland was not out of the question after a stray missile hit the country on November 15.

There have been proposals to transfer this advanced US-made air defense system to Ukraine, a proposal that Berlin, which already has the Patriot system in Slovakia, has reacted coldly to because there are concerns that deploying Patriot missiles in Ukraine could draw NATO into a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Defense experts also say that preparation for the use of this ultra-sophisticated system could take years, meaning it will not meet Ukraine’s immediate needs.

On the other hand, a senior Pentagon official told the press on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity that the United States is also considering sending Patriot systems to help Ukraine, but the decision has not yet been made, it is only a discussion. version.

The head of NATO said in Bucharest that there are discussions about sending the Patriot systems

While in Bucharest for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that there are discussions about sending the Patriot systems, but stressed that before making such a decision, the allies must ensure that they will be able to operate – that there is necessary training for them use that there are spare parts, ammunition, etc.

For its part, Ukraine, invited to Bucharest for discussions on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, called on its Western partners to provide it with air defense systems and transformers to counter Russian strikes. “If we have transformers and generators, we can restore our energy needs. If we have air defense systems, we can protect ourselves from the next Russian missile attacks,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. “In short: “Patriot” and transformers are what Ukraine needs most,” he noted.

Experts note that the decision to send weapons to Ukraine is not made at the NATO level, but at the bilateral level, by each member country.

The “Patriot” anti-aircraft missile system (Patriot is an acronym for “Phased Array Tracking Radar for Target Interception”) is designed to counter and destroy short-range ballistic missiles, aircraft and cruise missiles approaching the target.

Follow the latest events of the 281st day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.