On June 13 in Brussels, during the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense in the Ramstein format, the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense will be discussed.
This was stated by Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of Defense Sabrina Singh during a briefing on June 12, Radiosvoboda reports.
“What I can tell you – not to get ahead of the minister, but what he will continue to emphasize during the meeting with the Ukrainian defense contact group – is that we know that air defense is a priority for Ukraine, this is what they need, whether in the form of Patriot or other types of weapons”, – Singh said.
She also noted that she could not provide any information on the provision of the Patriot system to Ukraine.
Earlier, The New York Times, citing senior administration and military officials, reported that
President Joe Biden had approved the deployment of another Patriot missile system to Ukraine. According to officials, the system could be deployed in Ukraine in the next few days.
It is known that the US administration has not officially announced this decision.
Ukrainian authorities are increasingly calling on allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense after Russian troops launched an offensive in northern Kharkiv region last month, and amid Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
During the International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine needs “at least seven additional Patriot systems to close our main urban agglomerations in the near future”.
And on June 12, Pentagon Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Brussels to host the 23rd Contact Group on Ukraine’s defense (Ramstein format).
