NATO countries agreed to transfer more air defense systems to Ukraine

NATO countries have agreed to transfer additional air defense systems to Ukraine, said the organization’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He made this statement after a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, which took place on Friday.

“In addition to Patriot air defense systems, there are other weapons that allies can provide, including SAMP/T. Many other allies that do not have systems available have pledged to provide financial assistance to purchase these systems for Ukraine,” transmits Stoltenberg’s words to Reuters.

The NATO Secretary General did not specify how many new air defense systems Ukraine will receive, but said that he expects announcements on this issue in the coming days.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky requested to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, which was held online. Ukraine is facing an ammunition shortage as the US Congress fails for months to pass an aid package for Ukraine and the European Union fails to deliver ammunition as scheduled.

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba previously stated that Ukraine is aware of the presence of one hundred systems in the arsenals of allied countries. He asked to transfer at least seven Patriot batteries to protect Ukrainian cities.
• The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, called on allies to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems, in particular the Patriot air defense system. On Thursday, April 18, at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Brussels, he said that this must be done regardless of what decision is made in Washington on financing military assistance to Ukraine.