President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said that he is open to discussing sending the Patriot missile system to Ukraine.
Romania will discuss the transfer of the Patriot air defence system to Ukraine
Romanian President Iohannis told reporters in Washington after a meeting with US President Joe Biden.
For the past few weeks, there has been a debate about who might send Patriot systems to Ukraine. President Biden brought it up ... during our meeting, and I said I was open to discussion. I have to discuss this with the Supreme Defense Council to see what we can offer and what we can get in return because leaving Romania without air defence is unacceptable.
Klaus Ioannis
President of Romania
According to Reuters, Romania signed a deal to buy the Patriots worth US$4 billion in 2017, with the first shipment delivered in 2020.
Romania has one battery of this air defense system in operation, but Iohannis said the discussion was about another battery that is almost ready.
The White House said Biden thanked Romania for its commitment to the security of NATO's eastern flank, including the Black Sea region, and applauded its defence investment, which exceeds NATO's spending target of 2 per cent of GDP.
Ukraine calls for more air defence.
In April, after the massive Russian attack on Ukraine's energy system, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to provide Ukraine with more air defence systems.
Germany has promised to supply an additional Patriot battery, and Spain will supply Patriot anti-aircraft missiles.
Other European countries, including Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden, also have Patriot systems. However, Greece and Poland have already said they cannot transfer air defence to Ukraine.
