This content was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
In addition to a massive$ 6 billion more aid package, the United States may provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine as part of a conference of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on April 26.
According to Austin, the announcement comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy demanded more security systems to provide an air defense against further Russian missile strikes.
In addition to Patriot missiles, the$ 6 billion package includes more munitions for National Advanced Surface- to- Air Missile Systems, ( NASAMS ) and additional equipment to integrate Western air- defense launchers, missiles, and radars into Ukraine’s existing weaponry.
Zelenskiy raised the need for American Patriot air-defense methods earlier on April 26 at a virtual conference of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Format.
Austin said in his entry comments to the conference that everyone in the email group shares Zelenskiy’s sense of urgency, and he announced$ 1 billion worth of aid to Ukraine, including HIMARS, 155- millimeter ammunition, air- defense interceptors, and armoured vehicles.
Zelenskiy previously told the group that Ukraine needs to build its air defense system urgently to save lives.
Zelenskiy claimed that Russia has already used more than 9, 000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine this year alone, and that” we need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders.”
He added that at least seven Patriot systems are required to safeguard Ukrainian cities.
Austin stated at a Pentagon press conference that he was working with allies to locate additional Patriot systems but that he would not commit to sending more of the country. He claimed to have been speaking with a number of his European counterparts directly about this matter in recent days.
” It’s not just Patriots that they need. They also require interceptors and other types of systems, according to Austin. ” I would caution everyone to make Patriot the magic bullet.”
The contact group meeting comes just days after Joe Biden, the president of the United States, approved a lengthy, postponed$ 61 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The United States has already announced that$ 1 billion in artillery, air defenses, and other hardware would soon be heading to the battlefield.
Austin claimed that members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have provided Ukraine with more than 70 medium- and long-range air defense systems and thousands of missiles since the group was established two years ago.
The group also sent more than 3, 000 armored vehicles, including more than 800 main battle tanks, Austin said.
Despite all of the aid delivered, Zelenskiy said Russia “managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield” in the six months it took for Congress to pass the large U. S. aid package. However, he claimed that the battle is still in progress and that we must “move toward achieving our Ukrainian goals in the war.”
According to military analysts, the flow of weapons could make Kyiv more likely to prevent a significant Russian advance in the east. However, it is still unclear how much pressure Kyiv can put in place after months of rationing its stock as its stocks dropped. Kyiv also faces a shortage of troops on the battlefield.
