Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany said Thursday that EU leaders will send seven more Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine.
Amid Russia’s ongoing missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine, which has targeted residential areas and energy infrastructure several times, Scholz has made his remarks.
Some have claimed credit for intercepting Russia’s unstoppable hypersonic missiles, but the United States-made Patriot is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective air defense systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv’s international Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, have publicly requested more Patriots from international partners in response to the current escalation of Russian bombings.
Scholz pleaded with Western governments that the West must move quickly to provide vital weaponry to Ukraine.
In a statement earlier this month, Zelenskyy said that his nation needs 25 Patriot systems, each with a maximum of eight batteries, to completely cover Ukraine. At least three are reportedly running in Ukraine right now, and although one battery was broken, it was presumably fixed quickly.
Scholz mentioned seven Patriots on Thursday, the same number that Kuleba has said he is focusing on sourcing swiftly.
According to a report published on April 10 in The Washington Post, Kuleba said his team has discovered around 100 Patriot systems worldwide that might be deployed to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg questioned the claim during a news conference on Wednesday, saying there are significantly fewer than 100 Patriots in Europe.
During the conflict that Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated in February 2022, Germany has been one of Kyiv’s most substantial help donors. In addition to the extra Patriots it has promised, Germany will shortly be delivering more IRIS-T and Skynex air defense systems.
Congress is about to vote on a $61 billion assistance package from the United States, and Ukraine is still waiting to hear the results. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-UT) said on Saturday night that votes on the measure are anticipated.
The president has asked lawmakers to approve the assistance packages for Taiwan and Israel immediately.
