BERLIN, Germany
German Defense Minister
Christine Lambrecht on Monday said Russian
missile attacks on Ukrainian population centers highlighted the
urgency of delivering air
defense systems to Kyiv's forces.
The Iris-T SLM systems can defend against missiles at a range of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) - Courtesy
The long-promised systems,
which are capable of protecting an entire city, were originally slated to be
delivered at the end of the year. Monday's deadly strikes, however, have now
sped up the delivery timeline.
Lambrecht said the Russian
barrage underlined the need for the vehicle-mounted Iris-T SLM systems to be
delivered quickly.
"The renewed missile fire
on Kyiv and the many other cities show how important it is to supply Ukraine
with air defense systems quickly," the defense minister said in a
statement.
"Russia's attacks with
missiles and drones terrorize above all the civilian population,"
Lambrecht said.
She added that the first of
four high-tech air defense systems will now be "ready for the
effective protection of people in the coming days."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had
promised to provide the air defense systems to Ukraine in June.
The IRIS-T SLM can defend from
approaching missiles at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) and a
distance up to 40 kilometers.
According to Scholz, the defense system makes it possible to protect "an entire major city from Russian air attacks."
German Foreign Minister
Annalena Baerbock said on Monday that Germany would do "everything it
can" to help quickly bolster Ukraine's air defenses.
"It is despicable and
unjustifiable for Putin to bombard large cities and civilians with
missiles," Baerbock wrote on Twitter.
During the Monday morning
missile strikes, the German Foreign Ministry said, a large building housing a
German consulate in Kyiv was damaged. However, it added that the office had not
been in use since the war broke out. - DW
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