Berlin sends Kiev 2 Patriots, concerns arise over growing involvement
3 Min Read
Zelensky considers that this assistance brings the country closer to establishing a "full-fledged sky shield for Ukraine."
-
US-made Patriot systems parked next to American soldiers (AFP)
Germany delivered two US-made Patriot systems to Kiev, fulfilling a commitment it made to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this year, amid concerns that Berlin is dangerously increasing its involvement in the war with Russia.
The announcement was made as a growing number of Western military and political top officials are declaring that Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed to reach its objectives and is moving much slower than anticipated.
Read more: Ukraine's counteroffensive was doomed from the start and the US knew
"Good news from Germany – exactly what we agreed upon with [German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz," Zelensky said on Wednesday evening, referring to the receipt of the anti-air batteries.
"It will definitely save thousands of lives of our people," Zelensky said. "It will definitely bring us closer to creating a full-fledged sky shield for Ukraine."
Last month, former advisor to Pentagon chief and retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor revealed in an interview that Zelensky is in a "desperate" state, while Russians on the other hand are comfortable with the current path of the conflict.
Macgregor also slammed France and the UK, major NATO members, for their increased interference in the war after they promised Kiev to supply long-range missiles that can be used to target Russia's territory.
"Giving this man [Zelenskyy] and his government such weapons" is an invitation to disaster, he said, calling on Western countries to distance themselves from the war before being dragged into a direct clash with Russia.
Ukraine has already been equipped with at least two Patriot systems earlier, one provided by the United States, while the other one was supplied jointly by Berlin and the Netherlands.
Read more: Russia: US Patriot systems in Ukraine would be legitimate targets
The system's efficiency and effectiveness are undebatable. But Moscow's hypersonic missiles raised concerns in the West, given the fact that these types of missiles are very difficult to deal with, even by the most advanced anti-air hardware in the world.
In May, Russia's Defense Ministry announced destroying one Patriot battery stationed in Kiev using Kinzhal hypersonic missile. Despite launching 30 (very expensive) missiles to intercept the Russian missile, footage revealed that all attempts failed to down it.
The United States later confirmed that the system was hit but claimed that it was damaged and not completely destroyed.
I counted 30 Patriot PAC-3 MSE launches here.
— Fennec_Radar (@RadarFennec) May 16, 2023
The FY2024 costs of these per missile is about $$5,275,000
That was $158,250,000 fired in about two minutes. And as we see, the battery or something else likely got blown up. So it failed in its mission. pic.twitter.com/9rwPnHkNGu
Raytheon Company, the producer of the Patriot systems and one of the US' largest weapons manufacturers, said in June Ukraine will be receiving another five batteries by the end of 2024.
"Every day, every week, we work to ensure that our defenders of the sky have more air defense systems and missiles for them," Zelensky said, during his Wednesday evening speech. "Tomorrow I will continue this work, trying my best to provide more protection for the sky."
All of the Ukrainian territory needs many "more air defense systems than we have now," he added.
