German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed by phone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday Germany's proposal to buy US Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine, a German government spokesman said today, quoted by Reuters and BTA.

Merz initiated the conversation with Trump to encourage the supply of weapons to Ukraine, especially Patriot systems, after the Pentagon suspended some deliveries, the spokesman told the agency.

Der Spiegel magazine first reported the phone call between the two leaders.

Germany is in"intensive talks" about purchasing Patriot systems for Ukraine to help it counter some of the heaviest Russian attacks since the start of the war in 2022.

The United States has suspended the delivery of some key weapons to Ukraine due to dwindling stocks in its weapons depots, sources told Reuters this week.

Germany has sent three American-made Patriot systems from its own stockpiles to Ukraine, and last month German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius took the initiative to supply more such systems to Ukraine.

Ukraine is increasingly in need of air defense systems to destroy the high-speed ballistic missiles with which Russia attacks it.

"The problem is urgent and on the night of Thursday to Friday things got even worse," the German spokesman was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.

Chancellor Merz sees a connection between Putin's conversation with Trump yesterday and the subsequent massive airstrike against Ukraine, the spokesman also said, quoted by DPA.

The Chancellor has noted several times in recent days that there is a"regularity with the Russian president and that phone calls with him are usually accompanied by even more severe attacks," the spokesman pointed out.

The US president and the Russian head of state spoke yesterday after Ukrainian authorities reported more than 500 Russian attacks on Ukraine with drones, missiles and cruise missiles.