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The United States and its allies are preparing to provide Ukraine with two more Patriot air defence systems, The New York Times reports, citing four US officials. One of the systems is already being upgraded in Israel, while the other may be provided by Germany or Greece.
The delivery comes amid an escalation in Russian air attacks. The deadliest bombardment of Kyiv in a year on 24 April forced the allies to reconsider the pace of support for Ukrainian skies.
Currently, Ukraine has eight Patriot systems, of which only six are operational. After receiving the new systems, the number will increase to ten, mainly for the defence of the capital.
Interestingly, during his presidency, Donald Trump repeatedly rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public requests for additional Patriots, even when Ukraine was ready to buy them.
It is worth noting that any transfer of Patriot systems – even between allies – must be approved by Washington, as these are highly sensitive US-made defensive weapons.
Today, there are about 186 Patriot systems in operation around the world, of which a third are owned by the United States. Many of them are already deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, the Middle East and Europe to protect allies.
