WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as a part of an enormous $6 billion additional aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday.
The missiles might be used to enrich previously delivered Patriot air defense systems and are a part of a package that also includes more ammunition for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASASMS), in addition to additional equipment to integrate Western air defense missiles and radars into the present weapons of the Ukraine, lots of which date back to the Soviet era.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the necessity for patriots early Friday on the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that met virtually in a Pentagon-led meeting. The meeting fell on the second anniversary of the group, which Austin said has “moved heaven and earth” since April 2022 to acquire hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, missile systems, armored vehicles and even jets to assist Ukraine repel the Russian invasion to assist.
Zelensky said at the least seven Patriot systems are needed to guard Ukrainian cities. “We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Zelensky said. “This is what can and should save lives now.”
At a news conference on the Pentagon following the meeting, Austin said the U.S. would proceed to work with allies to offer additional Patriot systems but wouldn’t commit to shipping additional U.S. versions.
“They don’t just need Patriot, they need other types of systems and interceptors,” Austin said. “I would like to warn us all not to make Patriot a silver bullet.”
U.S. officials said the help package can be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds longer-term contracts with the defense industry and means it could take many months or years for the weapons to reach. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to debate details which have not yet been released.
The latest funding – the biggest tranche of USAI assistance thus far – also includes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), in addition to Switchblade and Puma drones, defense drone systems and artillery.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group has been meeting roughly monthly for 2 years and is the major forum for weapons donations to Kiev for the war.
Friday's meeting follows the White House's decision earlier this week to approve the delivery of $1 billion in weapons and equipment to Ukraine. These weapons include quite a lot of ammunition, corresponding to air defense ammunition and enormous quantities of artillery shells, that are in high demand by the Ukrainian armed forces, in addition to armored vehicles and other weapons.
However, this aid will quickly arrive in Ukraine because it is withdrawn from the Pentagon's shelves, including in warehouses in Europe.
The large back-to-back packages are the results of about $61 billion in latest funding for Ukraine passed by Congress on Wednesday and signed into law by President Joe Biden. And they supply weapons that Kiev urgently must halt the advances of Russian forces within the war.
Senior U.S. officials have described dire battlefield conditions in Ukraine as troops run out of ammunition and Russian forces make gains.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the US has sent greater than $44 billion value of weapons, maintenance, training and spare parts to Ukraine.
Weapons delivered to Ukraine included Abrams M1A1 major battle tanks. But Ukraine has now sidelined them partially because Russia's drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate undetected or be attacked, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com