WASHINGTON: United States is reportedly preparing to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to shoot down incoming Russian missiles.
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According to multiple reports appeared across US media, the US administration is expected to formally announcing sending Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine as soon as this week.
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It may be recalled that Ukraine had asked its Western partners for air defenses, including the U.S.-made Patriot system, after Russia used its missile arsenal along with allegedly acquired Iranian drones to target critical civilian infrastructure, including electrical power facilities needed to keep the population warm as temperatures fall.
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When asked to comment on such reports, Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, declined to comment on the Patriot battery transfer, saying he had “nothing to announce at this time.”
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The U.S had provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in military support, including air defense weapons ranging from Stingers — a surface-to-air missile system light enough to carry — to the larger NASAMS anti-aircraft systems, however Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat told reporters on Tuesday that Ukraine was still “not able to shoot down ballistic [missiles] by air defense means that we have in our arsenal.”
