Spain has agreed to supply anti-aircraft missiles of the Patriot defense system to Ukraine in the midst of efforts by NATO and the European Union for member countries with this weapon to strengthen the defense of kyiv against Russian bombings. This was announced this Friday by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, at the meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, in Rammstein.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, demands the delivery of six batteries to his Western allies, and had set his eyes on the Spanish army system deployed in the city of Adana, on the border between Turkey and Syria. Along with this, the Government maintains two batteries on Spanish soil and one of them is used for army practices with the Ukrainian troops that come to train. Defense refused to give up one of the three batteries it has, but to demonstrate its commitment as an ally, it will send a small number of missiles, each valued at one million euros, and Leopard battle tanks.
Spain joins the list of countries that have responded to Zelensky's requests. Germany announced the delivery of a battery, the third since the Russian invasion began, and the Netherlands has declared itself willing to finance the purchase of missiles from third parties to help Ukraine. Added to them is the plan of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, which together with Berlin will urgently send artillery, Patriot batteries and the HIMARS rocket launcher system to kyiv. The American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, at the Rammstein meeting, praised the help of the allied countries and stressed that “if Ukraine succumbs under Putin's boot, Europe will fall under its shadow.” The North American representative assured that all this equipment will be sent to kyiv urgently.
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