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Biden approved the transfer of another Patriot system to Ukraine, – NYT

Olena Buturlim08:30, 12.06.24

The complex will arrive from Poland, where it is currently located.

President Biden of the United States of America has approved the deployment of another Patriot missile complex in Ukraine , writes The New York Times with reference to senior administration and military officials.

It is noted that Biden’s decision was made last week after a series of high-level meetings and internal debates about how to meet Ukraine’s urgent need to strengthen air defenses without jeopardizing US combat readiness.

According to officials, the second U.S. Patriot system will arrive from Poland, where it protected a rotation of U.S. troops returning to the U.S. The complex could be deployed to the front line in the next few days, depending on the maintenance or modifications it needs.

Administration officials hope the deployment of another U.S. Patriot system will prompt allies to do the same.

Previously, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other senior Pentagon officials appealed to European allies to hand over their systems to Ukraine. “There are countries that have the Patriot, and we continue to engage those countries,” Austin told the House Armed Services Committee in April.

The Patriot air defense system is by far the most expensive piece of equipment the United States has delivered to Ukraine, with a total cost of about $1.1 billion: $400 million for the system and $690 million for the missiles.

Patriot for Ukraine

Two other countries responded to Ukraine’s request for more Patriots. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine that Berlin will hand over the third system to Ukraine in the near future .

The Netherlands advocated the joint supply of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine and called on other European countries to contribute.

(C)UNIAN 2024

11 comments

  2. Very good.
    As we know, Patriots are life-savers. Brilliant kit. Ukraine needs many more.
    The UK has none and is now going to assemble its own “Iron Dome”-type system.

    Reply

    • Yeah, the UK’s lack of any protection against ballistic missiles is astounding. No concerns in previous decades, despite Russian missile subs roaming the seas and Saddam Hussein’s firing of Scud missiles at Israel in 1991? Previous british governments must have had nerves of steel. 😯

      Reply

      • Of course the Royal Artillery has several layers of air defence, including the world class Sky Sabre. Just not enough and not fully integrated.
        We sent several systems to Ukraine; I forgot which ones.

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        • Hmm, Scradge, but Sky Sabre went into service in 2018, while the last long range air defence, the Bloodhound system, had been retired in 1991, without a successor. So, there hadn’t been such a capability for 27 years. 🤨

          Reply

  4. After weeks of “consideration”, a decision to deliver one single Patriot system? Coupled with a call to other countries to donate one of their very few batteries? Since the US has about 60 of them in service, and even more mothballed, that’s neither generous nor convincing. Other European users only have 3 or 4 batteries, it would be a hard call to give away one of those. Germany had 11, donated 2 plus two launchers and announced delivery of a third battery. In comparison, the stingyness of President Biden’s decision is embarassing. 🙁

    Reply

    • Your comment is spot on and the same as what I’m thinking, Mr. Gray. As a matter of fact, we have so many weapons in storage that we could easily send enough of everything to Ukraine without endangering our readiness. Mafia land has been pounding Ukrainian infrastructure for months and only now he forks over just one Patriot system. You’d almost think they were his personal property.

      Reply

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