Kallas: Countries' expiring Patriot interceptors should go to Ukraine
Some countries hold interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems that are nearing their expiration dates, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of informal meetings of EU foreign and defense ministers in Ireland on Sept. 1, according to Radio Liberty.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that countries with expiring Patriot interceptor missiles should donate them to Ukraine ahead of informal EU foreign and defense minister meetings in Ireland on September 1, according to Radio Liberty. Ukraine currently lacks these crucial interceptor missiles, Kallas stated. "We know some countries have interceptors that are about to expire," she explained.
"So it would be very good if these were transferred to Ukraine, so it could use them to protect its people." Western media had previously hinted that Greece and Spain possess PAC-2 missile stockpiles nearing expiration. The European Union is urging both nations to pass on their interceptors to Ukraine. Kallas also touched on sourcing missiles for Ukraine from outside the bloc, with the EU primarily relying on South Korea and Japan.
Additionally, EU officials are reaching out to non-EU countries to acquire interceptors for civilian protection, though this proves challenging. In parallel, efforts to pool European interceptor capabilities, including collaboration with Ukraine, are ongoing. On August 5, the Financial Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request for several hundred Patriot interceptor missiles, citing limited U.S. stockpiles needed for Middle East facility protection against Iranian attacks.
On August 13, Kallas urged all EU member states with Patriot interceptor missile stockpiles to transfer them to Ukraine. On August 24, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans to travel to the United States in September, alongside other EU leaders, to persuade Trump to provide Ukraine access to American Patriot interceptor stockpiles before winter.
On August 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine had received a small shipment of Patriot missiles, AIM missiles for NASAMS systems, and confirmation of several Crotale air defense systems and their missiles.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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