Biden agrees to provide Ukraine with another Patriot system – NYT
US President Joe Biden approved the placement of a second Patriot missile system in Ukraine to strengthen its air defense, The New York Times writes with reference to unnamed high-ranking officials of the administration of the head of state and the military.
According to the outlet’s sources, Biden made the decision last week after a series of high-level meetings and internal debates on how to meet Ukraine's urgent needs to strengthen air defense while not jeopardizing US combat readiness.
The new Patriot system will come from Poland, where it has been protecting rotational forces of US troops returning to the United States.
According to US officials, the system could be deployed on the front lines in Ukraine in the next few days, depending on the maintenance or modifications it needs.
Air defense for Ukraine
Against the backdrop of spring intensification of Russian attacks on the energy system, Ukraine called on international partners to provide air defense equipment, in particular Patriot systems. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine wants to get seven Patriot batteries from its partners as soon as possible. In particular, the country is ready to lend them to protect its big cities.
Even earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 25 Patriot air defense systems or its analogs are needed to completely close the sky over Ukraine. How many such systems are currently in Ukraine is not disclosed.
Ultimately, Germany announced an initiative to provide Ukraine with additional air defense assets and called on partners and third countries to join it. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assured that NATO countries have undertaken to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems.
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