Pentagon confirms plans to send Patriot systems to Ukraine
Pentagon confirms plans to send Patriot systems to Ukraine (Photo:Björn/flickr.com)
The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that it plans to send Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine, the Voice of America (VOA) news agency reported on Dec. 13, with reference to U.S. defense officials.
“A U.S. defense official confirms to VOA that the Pentagon is prepping to send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine to help protect the country from incoming Russian missiles,” Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb tweeted on Dec. 13.
“An announcement could come as soon as this week, per the official.”
A Patriot missile battery usually includes eight launchers, each with four missiles loaded for immediate launching.
The Pentagon’s plan has to be approved by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and later signed by U.S. President Joe Biden.
U.S. television channel CNN reported on Dec. 13 that the Biden administration was finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.
Once the plans are finalized, the Patriots will be delivered in the coming days, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be trained to use them at a U.S. Army base in Grafenwöhr, Germany.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Ukraine would be able to see Patriot systems deployed on the frontline by the next stage of the war.
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