Germany's support is in line with its commitment to "reliably and actively support Ukraine." "We will also provide nearly 50 missiles for IRIS-T systems," he said, noting that the supply of weapons to Ukraine is best kept under the leadership of the United States,

The U.S. is expected to announce $500 million in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday at a final gathering of President Joe Biden's weapons pledging conferences, meetings Kyiv says have been critical to its defense against Russia.

The Pentagon on Jan. 9 announced the final tranche of military aid for Ukraine under the Biden administration, supplying $500 million in equipment including for the first time F-16 support equipment along with a series of air defense systems.