According to the Air Force Command spokesman, Major Ilya Yevlash, Ukraine needs about 25 Patriot air defence systems to effectively repel air attacks by the criminal army of the Russian Federation.
Does Ukraine need a Patriot, or are there any analogues?
Ukraine needs 25 Patriot-type air defence systems that could protect our cities from enemy attacks, Yevlash emphasised.
The spokesman of the Air Force added that Ukraine also lacks other types of air defence.
He said the Ukrainian military needs portable air defence systems for mobile groups.
Ukraine needs to build an echeloned air defence system
Yevlash explained that the echeloned air defence system should include long-, medium- and short-range air defence systems.
Among the short-range complexes, which are mainly air defence systems of the Ground Forces:
Crotale, Avenger, Gepard;
Skynex installations
Complexes with an average radius of action should be IRIS-T, NASAMS and other systems that will help protect cities from air attacks by the criminal army of the Russian Federation.
Yevlash named SAMP/T and Patriot among the long-range complexes.
He emphasised that the Patriot air defence system is currently the most effective installation.
How the Patriot issue disrupted the EU Council budget vote
The European Parliament refused to consider the EU Council's budget until the issue of transferring additional Patriot systems to Ukraine was resolved.
It is implied about 7 Patriot air defence systems.
The Parliament refused to implement the budget of the Council of the EU until the European Council decides to support Ukraine with additional Patriot anti-missile systems, said the former Prime Minister of Belgium, MEP Guy Verhofstadt.
In particular, the deputy proposed changing the agenda of today's meeting because he was tired of watching what was happening in Ukraine.
As you have all seen, in the last 20 days there have been numerous attacks by the Russians on ordinary Ukrainian cities, hospitals, power stations, and apartment buildings. But I consider it scandalous that Europe is opening the door for Ukraine, and the European Council is not even able to urgently make a decision to send several anti-missile systems to Ukraine, emphasised Verhofstadt.
He recalled the words of Josep Borrell, the vice president of the European Commission and the high representative of the European Union for foreign and security policy, who said that there are 100 Patriot systems in Europe.
At the same time, Ukraine is asking for seven additional systems to protect cities.
In this regard, Verhofstadt proposed considering budgetary issues only after the European Council agreed to transfer seven Patriots to Ukraine.
