Ukraine updates: Germany to help provide 5 Patriot systems

Norway is ready to help Germany fund Patriot missile systems for Ukraine, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Monday.

Store made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

"Norway is prepared to share the bill. We will make a significant contribution. This is the most immediate operational solution we can provide," Store said.

US President Donald Trump said last week that the US would be selling Patriot units to European NATO members, which will then be sent to Ukraine.

Merz explained that Germany would supply two of its existing nine Patriot units to Ukraine, with the US due to provide "replacements." 

"But this replacement has not yet actually been procured," the chancellor said, adding that US and German defense ministers were in discussions "about where the replacement will come from."

Merz added that he was "extremely grateful that the Norwegian government and the prime minister have shown such commitment and are willing to share the costs we will incur if we have to make the necessary replacement purchases."

Store, for his part, pointed out that Norway has already supplied "a great deal of air defense" to Ukraine, namely the Norwegian-made NASAMS system.

He praised Germany for "sending a clear signal that it is ready to deliver a Patriot system." 

But, he added, "the US would be very helpful if they explained clearly how this can work."

"I think President Trump's message of contributing to this is a good start. But things have to be clear," Store said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Russia will hold another round of talks on Wednesday.

Two previous rounds held in Istanbul failed to yield any meaningful progress on a ceasefire. The only agreements reached were for the large-scale exchanges of prisoners of war (POWs).

"Today, I discussed with (Ukrainian Defense Minister) Rustem Umerov the preparations for the exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. More details will be available tomorrow," Zelenskyy said in his daily address.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy had proposed a fresh round of direct negotiations. 

Moscow responded earlier Monday, with the Kremlin saying Russia is open to talks but that significant work remained before they could take place, as both sides remained "diametrically opposed." 

Before Zelenskyy confirmed the talks would be held on Wednesday, he had said that detailed negotiations on a ceasefire would not be on the agenda.

The meeting would instead deal with furthering the return of Ukrainian POWs and children abducted from Ukraine by Russia, in addition to laying the groundwork for Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet.

Moscow wants Ukraine to cede territories that Russia has illegally occupied since launching its 2022 invasion. Kyiv wants Russia to end its attack and respect Ukraine's desire to join the NATO military alliance.

Ukraine's domestic security service on Monday arrested an official from the country's main anti-corruption agency who is suspected of spying for Russia.

"An employee of the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) Central Office was detained," the SBU said in a statement. 

The SBU said the suspect, who has not been named, worked in "the most elite, closed unit... and spied for the Russian special services."

The arrest came after the SBU searched dozens of NABU offices.

According to the SBU, the suspect transferred classified information to a deputy head of security of Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovich, who now lives in Russia after he was removed in 2014 following a popular uprising.  

In addition to the alleged Russian spy, the SBU also detained NABU official Ruslan Maghamedrasulov over suspected business ties to Russia.
      
In a statement, NABU said 15 of its employees had been targeted in over 70 searches, which the agency claimed were conducted "without court orders."

The anti-corruption agency also said the Ukrainian government's crackdown had extended beyond state security issues to include unrelated, minor allegations like years-old traffic offenses.

While the risk of Russian infiltration in Ukrainian government agencies "remains relevant (…) this cannot be a reason to stop the work of the entire institution," NABU said.

NABU director Semen Kryvonos has cut short a trip to the UK to return to Ukraine, the statement added.

Russia and Ukraine have each arrested dozens of alleged spies since Russia invaded in 2022, but espionage cases involving officials from government agencies are rare.

The Unied Kingdom has slapped new sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," the British Foreign Office said.

The sanctions will target 135 oil tankers and two Russian companies involved in shipping.

The measures are the latest in a crackdown by Ukraine's allies on Russia's "shadow fleet." Western authorities believe Russia is operating hundreds of vessels to circumvent sanctions targeting its oil exports, which are vital to funding its war effort in Ukraine.

The ships are operated under flags of convenience whose ownership and movements are concealed to dodge sanctions and oil price caps imposed by the West.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said the "new sanctions will disrupt the flow of oil money into (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war chest and strand more of his beleaguered shadow fleet."

According to the statement, the fleet is responsible for transporting $24 billion (€20.5 billion) worth of cargo since the start of last year.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctions show the UK and Ukraine's other allies "will not stand idly by" as Putin "continues to stall and delay on serious peace talks."

"We will continue to use the full might of our sanctions regime to ratchet up economic pressure at every turn and stand side by side with Ukraine," Lammy said.

Ukraine's newly-appointed Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is also taking part in the Ramstein group meeting, has said Kyiv needs the equivalent of more than $6 billion ($5.13 billion) worth of additional military support in 2025 to increase its own weapons production.

"Ukraine needs $6 billion to close this year's procurement deficit," Shmyhal said, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He said the additional funds are needed to make more remote-controlled (first person view — FPV) drones, more interceptor drones to repel attacks by drones used by Moscow, and more long-range weapons "to turn the war back to Russia."

Shmyhal also called for Ukraine's allies to allocate funds in their budgets for 2026.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's commander-in-chief, echoed Shmyhal's call for more military aid, highlighting that Kyiv is "still urgently lacking air-defense systems and associated missiles, long-range weapons, artillery shells, armoured technology, evacuation equipment, electronic warfare systems, radars, drone systems and more."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who was attending a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) Monday, has said that Germany will "contribute to providing" five Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine, DW's Teri Schultz reports from Brussels.

The pledge comes after Pistorius met with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon last week.

"I agreed with Pete Hegseth (...) that Germany will contribute to providing the five urgently needed Patriot systems as quickly as possible. How we can achieve that is something we will coordinate closely and in a spirit of mutual trust among partners within the next few days," Pistorius said during brief televised opening remarks at the start of the meeting of the UDCG, also known as the Ramstein group.

Berlin had previously only discussed providing two Patriot systems, with an additional one expected to be financed by Norway.

After Pistorius met with Hegseth, US President Donald Trump reportedly called the German defense minister to offer to sell Germany a total of five Patriot systems.

Germany, together with France, chairs the UDCG's air defense "capability coalition."

It was not immediately clear whether Germany would pay for the weapons itself, or if it will seek contributions from other NATO members for the two additional systems.

At a meeting with NATO boss Mark Rutte last week, Trump had said the US would sell the highly advanced missile defense systems to Ukraine's NATO and European allies, who would then provide the weapons to Kyiv.

The Royal Palace of Caserta near Naples announced the cancellation of a scheduled concert featuring unapologetically pro-Kremlin conductor Valery Gergiev.

"The Directorate of the Royal Palace of Caserta has ordered the cancellation of the symphony concert conducted by Valery Gergiev, scheduled as part of the Un'Estate da Re (King's Summer) festival for July 27," read a brief statement from the house.

No reason was given for the decision but the concert's original scheduling at the baroque palace triggered public outrage in Italy as well as condemnation from Ukraine and exiled opposition Russians.

Russia's ambassador to Italy called the situation "scandalous." 

Italian Cultural Minister Alessandro Giuli said the move was aimed at "protecting the values of the free world." 

Giuli said the concert, organized by the region of Campania, risked devolving "into a sounding board for Russian propaganda."
   
Gergiev, who has vociferously supported Putin since the early-1990s, has refused to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine — something that triggered his firing from Germany's Munich Philharmonic in March 2022.

Though he has played concerts in Asia since then, he has been entirely shunned in Europe, with concert houses across the continent refusing to work with him.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is open to peace talks with Ukraine — which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed should take place this week — but said it was not clear when it would actually agree to them.

Peskov said much diplomatic work remained before talks could take place, as terms proposed by both sides remained "diametrically opposed."

Moscow wants Ukraine to cede territories that Russia has illegally occupied since launching its 2022 invasion. Kyiv wants Russia to end its attack and respect Ukraine's desire to join the NATO military alliance.

Peskov said Russia would again be represented by Kremlin advisor Vladimir Medinsky — as was the case in previous talks held in May and June — and not President Vladimir Putin, who has played coy when invited to the negotiating table by both Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.

It is thought that the next round of talks will, like the previous two, take place in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Previous negotiations led to the large-scale exchange of prisoners, yet offered no breakthroughs toward attaining peace.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey told colleagues at Monday's Ukraine Contact Group meeting that US President Donald Trump's declared 50 day timeline for ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine means allies have 50 days to arm Ukraine "and force [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to the negotiating table."

Trump issued the ultimatum last week after announcing that Ukraine's European allies would be purchasing US-made Patriot air-defense systems to help Kyiv defend itself.

European and NATO allies have been forced to increase support for Kyiv as the US has withdrawn its own since Trump returned to the White House.

Although the US remains the single largest donor to Ukraine, Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) documents that the UK, European Union and Nordic countries now provide far more military aid than the US. 

Beijing has voiced anger over EU sanctions against Russia that affect Chinese businesses just days before the two sides are set to meet for trade talks in the Chinese capital, saying they could have "negative consequences" for the bloc. 

Over repeated Chinese warnings, Brussels on Friday announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia for its war of aggression in Ukraine. Two Chinese financial institutions are among those entities included in the package.

The EU has been trying to pressure China into using its influence over its close ally Russia to bring about an end to the war —  to no avail.

Beijing on Monday said it will protect the rights of its companies and is prepared to introduce counter sanctions on the EU.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are scheduled to arrive in Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang on Thursday.

EU representatives say China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as the conflict in the Middle East China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as the conflict in the Middle East, Beijing's limits on the export of rare earth minerals, and the growing trade deficit between the two will all be discussed at this week's meeting.

In 2024, the EU had a roughly €300 billion ($350 billion) trade deficit with China.

Germany and the UK will lead the 29th meeting of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group to discuss the current state of weapons deliveries to Kyiv as Washington drags its feet on providing US-made — but EU-purchased — Patriot air-defense systems.

The virtual meeting will be headed by Defense Ministers Boris Pistorius from Berlin and the UK's John Healy. Some 50 high-ranking defense officials, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Although the production and delivery of ammunition and artillery rounds for Ukraine will be discussed, the most important topic will be how to deal with the flip-flopping of US President Donald Trump.

Trump has confounded NATO allies with his approach to the nearly three-and-a-half year Russian invasion — first signaling support for Moscow and publicly chiding Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and then voicing disappointment with Vladimir Putin before issuing threats against Russia that remain nebulous and unfulfilled.

After the Pentagon surprisingly halted weapons deliveries to Ukraine just weeks ago, Trump last week agreed to allow Germany and other EU and NATO allies to purchase US air-defense systems  — an approach pitched by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Although Trump promised the systems would be delivered within days, sources say there are no signs of movement more than a week later.

Russian President Putin has dramatically escalated Russia's air assaults on Ukraine since Trump signaled his change of heart and analysts expect that to continue until Ukraine and Russia sit down to negotiate any future peace deal.

Trump recently gave Moscow 50 days to end the conflict or face more US sanctions. Russia has only increased its air assaults since then.

Russia continued its massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine as it seeks to break Kyiv's will 1,248 days into its invasion of the country. 

Ukraine's Air Force on Monday said it had downed 224 drones and missiles from a total of 424 Russian drones and 26 missiles fired upon the country overnight. Kyiv said another 203 Russian drones disappeared from their radar and were likely jammed electronically.

Russia has launched several thousand drones and missiles at Ukraine in recent weeks in what is also seen as a snub of US President Donald Trump's declared intention of striking a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.

Authorities in Kyiv say at least one person was killed in the overnight attacks and at least two injured. 

Several buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv — including a high-rise apartment complex, a supermarket and a kindergarten — were damaged in the attack. 

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko advised residents to remain in bomb shelters even as the entrance to one of them in a city subway station was targeted in the Monday morning Russian attack. 

Ukraine continued to defend itself against Russian aggression this weekend and increased its attacks on the capital Moscow, sowing chaos and closing down airports there.

Russian media reported that thousands of passengers had been stranded after their flights were cancelled as a result of Kyiv's latest barrage of drones targeted Moscow.

Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said it had downed 117 drones overnight, following 172 that it downed the night prior. It also said that it had downed 30 drones in the Moscow region on Saturday night and another 30 on Sunday.

The attacks on the capital were the heaviest since Russia launched its invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

To transport passengers, authorities added extra train service from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would increase its attacks deep inside Russia in an effort to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

Zelenskyy has said he wants direct talks this week. Russia has so far ignored his call as well as US President Donald Trump's threat of serious consequences for Russia if it does not soon agree to a ceasefire.

Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.

On Monday, we start with Ukraine stepping up attacks inside Russia and increasingly targeting the capital Moscow, where airports were largely closed.

China has also sharply criticized EU sanctions on some of its businesses in the bloc's effort to chip away at Beijing's support for Moscow.   

Stay tuned for the latest news and analysis from the ongoing war.