The US and Germany have agreed to transfer 100 desperately needed Patriot air defence interceptor missiles to Ukraine to shore up its air defences in the face of a devastating Russian barrage on its energy sector, Ukrayinska Pravda reported on June 12.
The US announced it was dipping into its strategic reserves and will supply Ukraine with two additional Patriot missile batteries that will greatly improve Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian missiles, senior administration and military officials revealed according to the New York Times.
This decision has been approved by President Joe Biden, and comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to Ukraine’s allies at the Ukraine Recovery conference being held in Berlin. On June 11, Zelenskiy called for at least seven new Patriot batteries, which is the minimum Bankova says it needs to defend its most important cities.
Biden reportedly made the decision last week following a series of high-level meetings and internal debates on addressing Ukraine's pressing air defence needs without compromising US combat readiness.
German Defence Minister Pistorius also threw more German support behind Ukraine at a joint press conference with Zelenskiy on June 11 in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern venue for the conference, reports European Pravda.
Pistorius recalled that a few weeks ago he was in Odessa, where he personally saw the consequences of Russian missile strikes and announced another package of assistance.
'And, especially after seeing how vital Ukraine's air defence is to survival, today I am glad to announce the delivery of a considerable number of interceptors for Patriot — one hundred,' Pistorius said.
Pistorius stated that the interceptors are offered as part of Germany's initiative to bolster Ukrainian air defence, which also includes Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.
'32 of these interceptors have already been transferred in the last two days, and the remaining 68 will be provided in the coming weeks,' the German minister added, assuring that the missiles would help 'protect infrastructure and save lives in Ukraine.'
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed out that Germany has provided billions of euros of military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war two years ago in addition to billions more in humanitarian aid. He said that Ukraine will receive new air defence systems, including another Patriot air defence system, as well as missiles and ammunition in the coming 'weeks and months'.
The US is sending its second Patriot system from bases in Poland, where it has been safeguarding a rotational force of American troops scheduled to return to the US, the Kyiv Independent reports. Officials indicated that the system could be deployed to Ukraine's front lines within the next few days, pending any maintenance or modifications.
The new missile batteries will be more than welcome, but Ukraine remains at a serious disadvantage in the face of Russia’s missile strike capabilities and the new systems are a minimum required to provide some security.
'To cover Ukraine completely in the future, it is preferable to have 25 Patriot systems, with 6-8 batteries each,' Zelenskiy said in April, although Bankova has been calling for a minimum of seven system at the moment cognisant that the EU allies have largely run out of spare Patriot systems and are reluctant to dip into their own strategic reserves.
