Air defence, drones, data exchange and joint production: Ukraine and Germany scale up cooperation
Ukraine and Germany are scaling up key areas of defence cooperation, particularly in air defence, the exchange of battlefield data, the development of drone capabilities, and joint weapons production.
These topics were discussed during a series of meetings between Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, and the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany, as well as representatives of the Bundestag, as part of the visit to Berlin.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defence also addressed the intergovernmental consultations, attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and representatives of both governments, during which he outlined priorities for developing a partnership with Germany in accordance with Ukraine’s War Plan.
Key areas of cooperation
During a meeting with Germany’s Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, the parties agreed on the key areas of defence cooperation.
Mykhailo Fedorov expressed gratitude to Germany for its critically important support, particularly in air defence and the development of mid-strike capabilities.
He also highlighted Germany’s initiative to supply Ukraine with PAC-3 missiles, which, together with contributions from other partners, helped safeguard critical infrastructure and protect the lives of Ukrainians during the challenging winter period.
The parties also devoted considerable attention to data exchange. Ukraine’s Minister of Defence outlined the capabilities of the DELTA system and reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to share its unique experience of modern warfare.
Air defence and long-range capabilities
The parties discussed further strengthening Ukraine’s air defence systems, including the provision of air defence munitions ahead of the next winter. The Ukrainian side emphasised the importance of continuing the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism and expects EU loan funds to be used to finance it.
The development of joint solutions for intercepting ballistic missiles was also discussed.
The enhancement of long-range capabilities remains a priority, particularly under the “Czech initiative”, which is important for supplying the Defence Forces of Ukraine with extended-range munitions.
Joint production and the testing of technologies
During a meeting with Jens Plötner, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany, the parties agreed to develop defence industry cooperation and joint weapons production.
Projects with leading German companies are already being implemented, and the parties envisage scaling up this cooperation.
A dedicated area of cooperation will be the testing of German defence solutions in Ukraine. Ukraine can test systems in real combat conditions and obtain subsequent objective feedback. The Test in Ukraine initiative enables the rapid identification and selection of technologies that have demonstrated their effectiveness on the battlefield.
The parties also discussed the development of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The DELTA system already enables the tracking of logistics operations using such solutions, and Ukraine plans to scale up their deployment to save personnel lives.
Defence agreement package worth €4 billion
As reported on April 14, Ukraine and Germany concluded a package of defence agreements totalling €4 billion, focused on strengthening air defence, developing unmanned systems, and joint defence production.
In particular, a contract has been concluded for the supply of several hundred missiles for Patriot systems. Furthermore, the agreements provide for the delivery of launchers for IRIS-T air defence systems.