The package was unveiled by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in Kyiv.

Germany is the second biggest contributor of military equipment to Ukraine, and Pistorius's visit to Kyiv was his second since he became defence minister at the start of the year.

The IRIS-T systems are highly sought after by Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones and missiles.

The latest four pledged by Germany mark the third batch of IRIS-T systems that Berlin is offering to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

Three IRIS-T systems from the first batch have already been delivered, and a fourth will follow in this winter. A second batch of four will arrive in 2024.

President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week met with the Pentagon's chief, who announced another $100 for military aid, and last week hosted UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who promised continued British backing.

The visits come in the wake of a disappointing Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of the country that Kyiv launched this summer after building up stockpiles of Western weapons.