The new weapons are important as Kiev faces dire battlefield conditions and ammunition shortages among Russia's military interests.
The United States will supply Patriot air defense missile systems to Ukraine as part of an additional $6 billion aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday, marking the biggest security threat to Kiev since the Russian invasion in 2022. He said it was a security support measure.
The policy is the second this week since President Joe Biden signed into law a long-delayed bill providing a total of $61 billion in new funding to Ukraine.
The package also includes more ammunition for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and additional equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars into Ukraine's existing arsenal. Many still date back to the Soviet era.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed the needs of patriots early Friday with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries gathered in a virtual meeting led by the Pentagon.
The meeting marks the start of a “heaven and earth” campaign by the group since April 2022 to procure millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket systems, armored vehicles and even jet aircraft to help Ukraine reject Russia. The event was held on the second anniversary of the company's founding, which Austin said.
President Zelenskiy said at least seven Patriot systems are needed to protect Ukrainian cities.
“We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Zelenskiy said. “This is what can and should save lives right now.”
U.S. officials described dire battlefield conditions in Ukraine as the military is running low on ammunition and the Russian military is building up troops.
reluctant ally
At a Pentagon news conference after the meeting, Austin said the U.S. is working with allies to procure additional Patriot systems, but has not committed to sending more U.S. versions.
He said he had been speaking one-on-one with a number of European countries in recent days to clarify this and other issues.
“It's not just the Patriots that they need, they need other types of systems and interceptors as well,” Austin said. “I want to warn all of us in terms of making Patriot a silver bullet.”
Austin said he is asking allies to “accept a little more risk” when considering what weapons to send to Ukraine.
Many countries have expressed some reluctance to send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, the reason being that most countries do not have that many air defense systems and they need them for their own defense. That's because I think so.
The new US funding includes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as switchblades, Puma drones, anti-drone systems and artillery.
Since the February 2022 invasion of Russia, the United States has sent $44 billion worth of weapons, maintenance, training, and spare parts to Ukraine.
Among the weapons provided to Ukraine were Abrams M1A1 tanks.
But Ukraine is now withdrawing U.S. troops because Russian drone warfare has made it so difficult to operate undetected and unattacked, two U.S. military officials said. told the Associated Press.
