Olsson

The topic of Taurus missiles is a sensitive one. Let me explain why. This will be both an explanation and an answer to some skeptics who say: “We help Ukraine, but what is Ukraine doing for us?” Here is an example. The IRIS-T air defense system. An excellent German system, and we are grateful to its manufacturers. Every type of defense is important for Ukraine, but it is also important for German industry. We have made IRIS-T the world’s number one system after the Patriot, which is an anti-ballistic system. Today, it costs somewhere between $600,000 and around $1 million to $1.5 million. That’s the result of this war. We have also helped address all the problem areas, because only in a real war can you truly eliminate the weaknesses of a particular defense system. Germany now has orders backed up for 10 to 20 years. The cost of a missile has gone up severalfold, even by tens of times. And all of this means jobs. Why do we want to order Taurus missiles? Because when the Americans were unable to supply us with anti-ballistic interceptors for our air defense, we were left with only one option: to destroy Russian launchers. They have built entire launch sites and are killing us, while we have no way to defend ourselves. These are not civilian targets, infrastructure, or energy facilities. That is why we really wanted to order Taurus missiles. And not simply to order them, but, once again, to test them as well. It benefits both sides. From an interview with ZDF. (3/3)

We just had a very detailed, hour-and-a-half-long conversation with Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and Jared Kushner @jaredkushner. We are preparing for a trilateral format at the team level between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia – to take place in less than a week. Today, there was also a substantive meeting in Brussels involving our team, teams from America, the EU, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, NATO, the World Bank, and representatives of the global business community. The meeting focused on postwar recovery. There will be another meeting in Brussels tomorrow on security guarantees for Ukraine. The negotiations must move forward at full throttle to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible. Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps. Our proposals are clear, and we have given them to the American side. Air defense is an important priority, and we discussed this as well. We need interceptors for Patriot systems to protect lives from Russian attacks. We must also continue working on each of the bilateral tracks with America. This applies to the Drone Deal format in particular. Ukraine is grateful to the United States for its support for Ukraine's independence, our people, and diplomatic efforts. Peace has no alternative, and postwar security guarantees must be truly cast-iron. We are working to make this happen! Glory to Ukraine!

To have security, you need partners and allies who guarantee it together with you. And when it comes to new technologies like Starlink and similar systems. Different countries are now building their own versions of Starlink. And Germany is building its own system too. That is the right thing to do. Because the key question is who controls the on and off buttons. But what do we do about those who are building the ability to destroy such systems? Nobody can handle that alone. Security really is a shared European interest. From the address at the Berlin Security Conference. (3/3)

I met with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. I briefed him on the situation regarding Russian shelling of critical infrastructure in virtually all regions of Ukraine. There are numerous strikes on our energy infrastructure every day, and the situation with ballistic missiles is particularly challenging due to the chronic shortage of Patriot interceptors. It is important to find new solutions to help protect lives. We have a substantial contract for the purchase of German-made PAC-2 missiles over the next two years. We are working to accelerate deliveries. This would significantly help Ukrainians get through this winter. More than once, it has been German leadership that has helped protect thousands upon thousands of lives. We agreed that our teams would explore this possibility and other issues we discussed, including IRIS-T and munitions for F-16s. I thank Minister Pistorius, Chancellor Merz, and all of Germany for their unwavering support for our defense. We appreciate every step that helps save lives.