German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and UK Defence Secretary John Healey urged de‑escalation in Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz at a Ukraine defense meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, warning that the war in the Middle East is diverting attention and resources from Ukraine and benefiting Russia’s invasion.
The two countries pledged further military assistance for Ukraine — including hundreds of Patriot guided missiles from Germany, additional IRIS‑T launchers, UK drones and projects to be carried out within Ukraine with international funding. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte also attended the meeting.
Pistorius said “the eyes of the world are on the Strait of Hormuz and the events in the Middle East these days” and called for “quick deescalation and an end to the blockade of the Strait.” He warned that Russia benefits from current Middle East developments, saying a surge in oil prices is “pouring money into Putin’s war coffers” and that Moscow is using the money to fund its attacks on Ukraine. He added that US‑backed Russia‑Ukraine peace talks were suspended and that Russia had never taken them seriously. Pistorius cited the short‑lived Orthodox Easter ceasefire — which Fedorov said was “violated about 2,000 times” and ended right after Easter — as evidence of Russia’s intentions.
On assistance, Pistorius stressed unity and the importance of air defense given Russia’s widespread drone attacks. Germany agreed a support package including hundreds of Patriot missiles to be delivered steadily over the next four years, additional IRIS‑T launchers, and funding for deep‑strike drones to be manufactured in Ukraine. He said relations with Ukraine had intensified into a “reliable strategic partnership based on mutual trust” and called on the EU to begin granting a two‑year interest‑free €90 billion loan package, expecting Hungary’s recent election to lift the blockade that had delayed it. Pistorius said the funds would enable Ukraine to procure military equipment sustainably and rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Russia, and he expected EU funding to supplement, not replace, bilateral commitments.
Healey said the consequences of the Iran war were being “felt across the world” and noted Putin’s continued assault on Ukraine. He praised Kyiv for helping Gulf states defend against drones, drawing on Ukraine’s experience against Russian kamikaze drones modeled on Iran’s Shaheds. Citing Fedorov, Healey said Russia had launched 1,000 such drones in the previous 24 hours and reported that Russian casualties rose by a third to more than 35,000 in March, with drones causing 96% of those casualties. He added that drones have defined this war and will be decisive to its outcome, and said the UK plans to deliver some 120,000 drones to Ukraine in its latest wave of assistance.
NATO chief Mark Rutte praised Ukraine for helping Gulf states fend off “indiscriminate attacks” from Iran, welcomed further commitments to support Kyiv and said it was “vital that equipment continue to flow into Ukraine.”
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru