US officials said on Tuesday that the United States is preparing to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, finally agreeing to an urgent request from Kiev to provide it with powerful weapons to repel Russian attacks.
This came according to what the Associated Press quoted three US officials who preferred not to be named because the decision is not final and has not been announced.
Officials said that approval to send the system is likely to come later this week, and may be announced on Thursday.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed Western leaders to provide his country with more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia.
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Sending the Patriot system to Ukraine enhances the defense systems that the West is sending to help it repel Russian air attacks, and could represent an escalation, according to the US agency.
Late last month, Dmitry Medvedev, Vice President of the Russian Security Council, warned against supplying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to Ukraine with Patriot missile systems.
Medvedev said – on his Telegram account – that if NATO provides Kiev with Patriot systems, “these systems will become a legitimate target for our forces,” commenting on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s announcement that the alliance is examining the possibility of transferring Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
