BERLIN, July 22. /TASS/. Germany is ready to supply two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, but only if they are replaced quickly, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said as quoted by the NTV channel.

"We can give away two systems, but we won’t do that unless we get a reliable guarantee that we will receive a replacement within, let's say, six to eight months," the politician said during a trip to the Bavarian city of Erding.

Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr must maintain its own operational capabilities and continue training soldiers on Patriot systems.

"We will lose the ability to conduct trainings if we cannot train for a year, a year and a half, or even two years because of a lack of systems," he said. The minister believes that Ukraine needs five Patriot air defense systems.

Earlier, Pistorius said at a remote meeting of the contact group on Ukraine that Berlin would help ensure that Kiev receives five Patriot systems as soon as possible. According to the Bild newspaper, US President Donald Trump demanded that Germany provide Kiev with these weapons from its own reserves. On July 14, Trump said the US will continue transferring weapons and military equipment to Ukraine if Europe pays for the supplies. Coordination in this process will be carried out by NATO.

According to Bild, the German army is already facing a shortage of air defense systems, specifically Patriots. Three systems have already been transferred to Kiev, and two are deployed in Poland to protect the airport through which military supplies are transported to Ukraine. Three more systems are currently being upgraded and cannot be used yet, one is needed for military training. There are still three Patriot complexes ready for use, and if one of them is transferred to Kiev, there will only be two systems left.