A US Defense Department spokesman said Washington is preparing to send a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to “beef up defenses against Russian attacks,” a decision that could be announced as early as this week.
The Joe Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the system to Ukraine, CNN reports, noting that the Pentagon’s plan still needs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s approval before it is sent to Biden for signature.
Once the plans are finalized, Patriot missiles are expected to be shipped in the coming days and Ukrainians will be trained in their use at the US Army base in Grafenauer, Germany, officials said.
Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, declined to comment on the information, saying he had “nothing to announce at the moment.”
Ryder stressed that his country will continue to “look for the best ways in which we can best support Ukraine in order to protect its people, protect its infrastructure and survive the attacks.”
Source: CNN + Voice of America