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Greece and Spain are below intense stress from their EU and Nato allies to supply extra air defence programs to Ukraine, as Kyiv demanded extra help at a gathering of EU overseas and defence ministers on Monday.
The Ukrainian management has made an pressing plea to western allies for seven extra air defence programs, corresponding to US-made Patriots or Soviet-developed S-300s, as Russia steps up an air and missile marketing campaign in opposition to the nation’s cities and energy infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday: “Patriots can solely be known as air defence programs in the event that they work and save lives moderately than standing motionless someplace in storage bases.”
Solely Germany has introduced a cargo, of 1 Patriot system.
Different EU leaders used a summit in Brussels final week to personally urge Spanish and Greek prime ministers Pedro Sánchez and Kyriakos Mitsotakis to donate a few of their programs to Ukraine, based on individuals briefed on the discussions.
The 2 leaders, whose armed forces possess between them greater than a dozen Patriot programs plus others corresponding to S-300s, had been advised their want was not as nice as Ukraine’s and that they didn’t face any imminent menace.
“Everyone knows who has them, everyone knows the place they’re, and everyone knows who actually wants them,” stated one of many individuals.
The stress to donate programs intensified at a gathering of overseas and defence ministers of the EU’s 27 member states in Luxembourg on Monday. Ukraine’s overseas affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba and defence minister Rustem Umerov joined the assembly through videoconference.
Kyiv is known to be notably serious about Greece’s ageing S-300 programs, which Ukrainian forces have already got of their arsenal and are skilled with.
“There are international locations that aren’t in instant want of their air defence programs, to be very sincere,” stated one EU diplomat. “Every nation is being requested to determine what it will probably spare.”
The defence ministries of Greece and Spain declined to remark when contacted by the Monetary Instances.
Spain’s overseas minister José Manuel Albares was requested by reporters on Monday if the nation was making ready to ship Patriots to Ukraine. “We’re properly conscious of Ukraine’s want for anti-aircraft defences and particularly for Patriot programs,” he stated. “Spain has all the time performed all the pieces inside its energy [to help].”
Requested particularly about Spain donating Patriots, Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, stated: “We’ve got been asking all member states to do no matter they will in an effort to improve the air defence capability of Ukraine.”
Officers stated much less stress was being placed on Poland and Romania, which even have Patriots, to contemplate shipments to Kyiv given their extra susceptible location on the border with Ukraine.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on Monday that the nation “doesn’t have this feature” to ship a system, given the necessity to shield a essential provide depot for weapons destined for Ukraine within the south-eastern metropolis of Rzeszów.
“There are additionally different sorts of weapons [than Patriots] that assist Ukraine shield the skies, and right here Poland will proceed to be energetic,” he added.
Ukraine at current has at the very least three Patriot programs, together with one equipped by the US and two from Germany, earlier than Berlin’s announcement final week.
Kyiv additionally operates long-range surface-to-air missile programs developed by the previous Soviet Union, together with the S-300 and S-200 programs. A transformed and up to date model of the latter was used to down a Russian Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber over Russia’s Stavropol Krai area final week, based on Ukrainian officers.
Air defence interceptors are more likely to be included within the new US help bundle accredited by the Home of Representatives on Saturday.
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg stated on Friday that he anticipated new pledges of air defence provides “can be introduced quickly” however didn’t present any particulars of the international locations or weaponry concerned.
Nato has performed an audit of the air defence capabilities its member states possess and the place they’re deployed, Stoltenberg stated, including that “this mapping confirms that there are programs together with Patriot programs obtainable to be offered to Ukraine”.
Stoltenberg spoke after a digital assembly of Nato defence ministers and Zelenskyy assembled to debate the air defence shortages.
