The European Union (EU) is currently unable to buy missiles for Patriot air defense systems for Kiev because it has not received a contract from Ukraine, according to the European Commission (EC) spokesman at a press conference on September 18 (local time).
The funding for Patriot was only approved last week, so we need to receive contracts. As far as I know, we do not currently have these contracts," the EC spokesman said.
The EU approved funding for Patriot systems for Ukraine last week under the Ukraine Support Loan mechanism. This is a mechanism used by the EU to provide financial support to Kiev.
The allocation of funding for Patriot takes place in the context of Ukraine continuing to request allies to strengthen air defense capabilities. Kiev believes that strengthening the air defense system is necessary to protect targets and infrastructure from air strikes.
Patriot is an air defense system developed by the US, designed to detect, track and intercept aerial targets. This system has the ability to deal with many types of targets, including ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
In recent years, Patriot has become one of the key air defense systems provided to Ukraine by Western allies. These systems are deployed along with other types of air defense equipment to form a multi-layered defense network.
