US plans to deploy additional Patriot battery to Ukraine – Bloomberg

The United States of America is considering sending an additional Patriot battery to Ukraine.

Bloomberg reports this.

As reported in the publication, the White House is currently working on the issue of meeting Ukraine's needs for additional air defense equipment.

A source told Bloomberg that the US is currently looking to send one Patriot battery along with the radars.

In addition, European partner countries are also working on a plan to supply Ukraine with additional air defense systems from their stocks.

The United States is likely to allocate funds for the Patriot system from the $61 billion aid package recently approved by the US Congress.

It should be noted that on May 14, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid a visit to Kyiv, during which President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed the need for two additional Patriots for Ukraine.

It was the first visit by a high-ranking US official to Ukraine since Congress passed a long-awaited $61 billion military aid package to Ukraine last month.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the provision of a new $400 million military aid package during a visit on May 14.

As previously reported, US President's National Security Assistant Jake Sullivan also said that his country is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine, which will be announced in the coming days.

For reference:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, recently announced that Ukraine has identified 100 free Patriots around the globe but is currently seeking seven to bolster defense against potential Russian missile threats.

In addition, according to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Ukraine is even ready to lend seven batteries of the Patriot air defense system.

On April 18, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that NATO partners could supply Ukraine with six Patriot systems.

In addition, the Netherlands publicly declared its willingness to buy the Patriot battery, a significant factor.

The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, also stated that the Netherlands 

is not the only country willing to purchase a Patriot air defense battery at this time and later transfer it to Ukraine.

Ukraine is in talks with its partners about obtaining Patriot air defense systems. At the moment, it is looking to acquire about four anti-aircraft missile systems.

As a reminder, the Patriot battery includes radars and control stations to identify, track, and target enemy weapons, launchers, and support assets.