US president authorizes delivery of additional Patriot system to Ukraine – NYT

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of another Patriot missile system in Ukraine to bolster its air defense capabilities.

The New York Times reports this, citing unnamed high-ranking officials of the administration of the head of state and the military.

According to the publication's interlocutors, Biden decided last week after a series of high-level meetings and internal debates on how to meet Ukraine's urgent need to strengthen air defenses while not jeopardizing US combat readiness.

The new Patriot system will be arriving from Poland, where it successfully guarded a troop rotation of American soldiers heading back to the US.

According to US officials, depending on the maintenance or modifications it needs, the system could be deployed on the front lines in Ukraine in the next few days.

It should be noted that on April 17, the German government launched an initiative to find additional means of air defense that could be transferred to Ukraine.

On June 11, during a speech at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine needed at least seven Patriot systems to cover Ukraine's main urban agglomerations.

For reference:

• France will supply Ukraine with a new batch of Aster anti-aircraft missiles for the SAMP/T air defense system.
• The US is considering sending another Patriot battery to Ukraine.
• Germany handed over the IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine in May.
• At the same time, Ukraine will receive the third Patriot air defense system from Germany.
• The Netherlands has publicly announced its readiness to purchase a Patriot battery for Ukraine.
• Ukraine ordered the second air defense system from France.
• Ukraine will soon receive a new military aid package from Italy, most of which will be air defense equipment.