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US finalizing plan to send Patriot air defence system to Ukraine
The US is finalizing plans to send its sophisticated Patriot air defence system to Ukraine following an urgent request from Kyiv, which wants more robust weapons to shoot down Russian missiles and drones that have devastated the country’s energy infrastructure. Currently, millions of Ukrainians are with our heat in bitter cold of winter.
The Reuters and Associated Press news agencies reported on Tuesday that the US can announce the plan to provide air defence system to Ukraine as soon as Thursday. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked world leaders to provide more advanced weapons to his country. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine.
The Pentagon declined to comment and there was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials. The US has given Ukraine $19.3bn in military assistance since the invasion, which is Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
In Paris, about 70 countries and institutions pledged just over 1 billion euros ($1.06 billion) to help maintain Ukraine’s water, food, energy, health and transport in the face of Russia’s attacks, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.
President Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address said, “Every day, we are gaining new strength for Ukraine to get us through this winter.”