United to win: Greece considers giving Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine
Greece might consider transferring Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, requiring monetary compensation from the United States and securing guarantees from Washington to respond to Türkiye's threat.
The Greek publication Рronews writes about this, referring to its government sources in the country.
So, Athens will hand over one Patriot Pac 3 battery to Ukraine, which can shoot down ballistic targets, in exchange for security guarantees from the US. The journalists do not specify what security guarantees the country received.
In addition, if necessary, Washington will be able to transfer the Patriot to Greece from its reserves, replacing the one that Athens will transfer to Kyiv, or provide monetary compensation from the aid package of more than 60 billion dollars after the Senate's decision and President Joe Biden's signature.
Рronews writes that Greece will hand over only one battery to Ukraine, but later, Kyiv will be able to receive a second one. The publication claims such a decision will likely cause disagreements within the country.
The day before, the Financial Times wrote that some EU and NATO member states are putting pressure on Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems. Thus, the prime ministers of Spain and Greece, Pedro Sanchez and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, were assured that their countries' needs were not as great as Ukraine's, and therefore, they should provide Kyiv with more air defense systems.
During the summit in Brussels last week, EU leaders personally called on the Prime Ministers of Spain and Greece, Pedro Sanchez and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to transfer part of their air defense systems to Ukraine.
Leaders from both nations have stated that their military possesses over a dozen Patriot systems and other equipment, such as the S–300, but they do not require it as much as Ukraine.
"We all know who has them, we all know where they are, and we all know who really needs them," one source said.
According to their data, less pressure is exerted on Poland and Romania, which also have Patriot, given their more vulnerable location on the border with Ukraine.
For reference:
President Zelensky recently emphasized the need for Ukraine to acquire 25 Patriot air defense systems or their equivalent to fully secure the country's airspace.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, also announced that Ukraine has identified
100 Patriots available globally, but Ukraine needs to obtain seven to protect against Russian missiles.
In addition, according to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Ukraine is ready to lend seven batteries of the Patriot air defense system.
Earlier, Kuleba outlined five priorities for Ukrainian diplomats to focus on in 2024.
Strengthening air defense is a crucial focus for Kyiv this year. Ukraine is seeking to acquire not only the Patriot air defense systems but also the Samp-T systems.
It is also worth adding that the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, believes that it is cheaper to buy American Patriot systems for Ukraine than to restore a thermal power plant that was destroyed by a Russian missile.
On April 18, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that NATO partners could supply Ukraine with six Patriot systems.
At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the Netherlands is not the only country ready to buy the Patriot air defense battery right now for further transfer to Ukraine.
