If not donate, partners could sell Patriot systems to Ukraine — Dutch PM
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The European Union may buy Patriot air defense systems from countries that have them but are unwilling to transfer them to Ukraine, Dutch PM Mark Rutte said on April 17, as reported by The Guardian.
According to Rutte, Kyiv’s allies have the necessary funds to finance the purchases.
“We can buy it from them, we can deliver it to Ukraine, we have the money available; it’s crucial,” the PM said. Rutte clarified that he was referring to countries that do not want to transfer these systems to Ukraine directly.
“We know that many countries are sitting on large piles of patriot systems, maybe not wanting to deliver it directly.”
Previously, the Netherlands promised EUR 4 billion ($4.27 billion) in military aid for Ukraine, which includes the transfer of several Patriot systems.
On April 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine was actively negotiating with allies to acquire two Patriot batteries and one SAMP-T unit. He added that if partners were ready to transfer these systems, the issue could be resolved “within weeks.”
On April 3, Kuleba noted that Kyiv’s partners were reluctant to transfer "five to seven" Patriot systems to Ukraine, even though they have more than a hundred at their disposal.
On March 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had submitted requests for additional Patriots to every country that owns them.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
