- Written by Holly Honderich & Will Vernon
- in washington
image source, Getty Images
The Pentagon announced it would “rush” Patriot air defense missiles and artillery shells to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package.
However, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said no Patriot systems would be sent to launch missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said patriots were “urgently” needed to counter the growing Russian air threat and that “lives can and should be saved right now.” ” he said.
Ukraine announced on Saturday that Russia had carried out another major airstrike.
Kharkiv authorities said a hospital had been damaged. German Energy Minister Galushchenko said energy facilities in three regions were attacked.
Ukraine said Russia attacked with cruise missiles, S-300 surface-to-air missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, adding that it shot down 21 missiles using aircraft, air defense systems and radio jamming.
Ukraine claimed it attacked two Russian oil refineries across the border. Footage from Russia's Krasnodar region appeared to show a massive explosion, but local authorities denied any serious damage.
Russian authorities said on Saturday that they had shot down some 68 Ukrainian-made drones over Russian territory.
Austin said at a news conference Friday that the United States is working on its largest security aid package ever and will “act immediately” on shipping supplies to Ukraine.
He said the US had spent $6bn (£4.8bn) on this purpose. Sources told the BBC that the $6 billion is part of a $60 billion aid package signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, which also includes an additional $1 billion in immediate aid. admitted that it was.
Support includes air defense munitions, anti-drone systems, and artillery shells, but does not include Patriot missile systems.
“It's not just the Patriots that they're doing that.” [the Ukrainians] “I want to warn all of us in terms of making Patriot a silver bullet,” Austin said.
Austin added that he was confident that more missile systems would soon be available to Kiev. He said the company is continuing to talk with European partners to provide additional functionality.
Gen. Charles Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the aid should eliminate the need for Ukrainians to distribute artillery shells on the front lines.
Some of the latest funding will also go toward building Ukraine's own defense industry so it can start producing more of the ammunition it desperately needs.
Austin said Russia has already increased domestic production of artillery shells and other weapons, also supported by supplies from Iran and North Korea.
“Understand what is at stake for Ukraine, Europe and the United States,” he said. “If Putin prevails in Ukraine, Europe will face security threats never seen before. Russia will not stop in Ukraine.”
Asked whether U.S. aid would protect Ukraine's military, Austin said the commitment was “not immediate” but “substantive, real, substantial.”
“It will take some time to get it there and distribute it. The Ukrainians were able to hold out. With this ability, they will be able to do better.”
The defense secretary's words came as Ukraine warned on Friday that Russia was stepping up attacks on its railways.
A Ukrainian security source told AFP news agency that the Russian government wanted to damage Ukraine's rail infrastructure in order to “paralyze the delivery and movement of military cargo.”
image source, Getty Images
Ukraine has only a handful of Patriots that can complement its existing inventory of other Western missile defense systems and Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) such as the S-300.
Patriots is the most capable and expensive air defense system owned by Ukraine. Patriot batteries cost around $1 billion (£800 million) each, and the missiles cost nearly $4 million each.
Germany has already pledged to introduce more Patriot programs, and the defense and foreign ministers earlier this month appealed to European countries to act quickly.
He said Greece has Patriots and S-300s, but none are immune.
“We explained why it cannot be done,” Greek Prime Minister Kyrgios Mitsotakis told Sky TV. He said his country's air defense is “an important system for protecting Greece's airspace.”
According to reports, Spain will supply some Patriot missiles, but not complete systems.
Kiev has stepped up its appeal for Western aid in recent months as ammunition stocks are depleted and Russia makes steady gains.
Ukrainian officials blame delays in military aid from the United States and other Western allies for the loss of life and territory.
