We are talking about the Patriot and S-300 systems.
Member countries of the European Union and NATO are putting serious pressure on Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with air defense systems.
The Financial Times writes about this, citing its own sources. According to them, at the summit in Brussels, European leaders personally called on the Prime Ministers of Spain and Greece Pedro Sanchez and Kyriakos Mitsotakis to transfer part of their systems to Ukraine.
Policymakers in countries whose militaries have more than a dozen Patriots and S-300 systems have been told that their needs for the systems are not as great and that the countries themselves do not face an immediate threat. “We all know who has them (air defense systems – UNIAN), we all know where they are, and we all know who really needs them,” one of the sources said.
A repeated request to donate installations to Ukraine was made at a meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs and defense of EU members in Luxembourg, in which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov took part.
“I don’t have Patriot in Brussels, they are in the capitals and they are the ones who have to make decisions. And I’m sure they will do it,” EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters.
It is assumed that the Ukrainian army is particularly interested in Greece’s legacy S-300 systems, since it knows how to work with them. “To be honest, there are countries that do not need air defense systems in the near future. Each country is asked to decide what it can spare,” said one European diplomat.
The head of the Spanish Foreign Ministry, José Manuel Albarez, when asked by journalists whether Spain is preparing to transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine, answered: “We understand perfectly well that Ukraine needs air defense systems and especially Patriot systems. Spain has always done everything in its power , [чтобы помочь]”.
At the same time, officials say that Poland and Romania are not being pressured as much on this issue because they take into account their “more vulnerable location on the border with Ukraine.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they were unable to hand over the Patriot because they needed to protect a critical weapons depot for Ukraine in Rzeszow. “There are other types of weapons [помимо Patriot]which help Ukraine defend the skies, and here Poland will continue to be active,” he added.
Air defense for Ukraine: latest news
Let us recall that earlier President Vladimir Zelensky requested the convening of an urgent meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council dedicated to the protection of the Ukrainian sky. This happened against the backdrop of massive Russian attacks and a shortage of air defense missiles.
Germany responded to the request – Berlin announced that it would transfer one Patriot battery, and the head of the defense company Diehl Defense Helmut Rauch announced the transfer of the IRIS-T system.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council that they conducted an audit and found out that member countries have air defense systems that can be transferred to the Ukrainian army.
