Italy confirms second SAMP/T air defense system for Ukraine
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Though the SAMP/T system is a powerful weapon, its purpose is strictly aimed at defending against incoming missile attacks.
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The SAMP/T also called MAMBA missile launcher is displayed at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Ukraine is set to receive another SAMP/T air defense system from Italy in the aim of bolstering its capability to defend against Russian airstrikes.
This comes after reports in late May by Italian media suggesting that Italy's ninth military package to Ukraine would include the additional SAMP/T system. The system is intended to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, particularly in Kiev and other major cities. The finalization of the aid package is expected before the G7 summit in June and is likely to be approved at the NATO summit in Washington on July 9.
"Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has confirmed the information that his country will donate a second SAMP/T air defense system to Ukraine," Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Kiev had previously requested assistance from France in providing the same air defense system. While the decision to supply the system was approved, there were multiple delays in delivering the SAMP/T systems.
"We are working on this within the French administration, in collaboration with our Italian partners, but an immediate response is not forthcoming," disclosed an unnamed French official to Le Monde in late April. France had supplied Ukraine with a SAMP/T system last year.
Read more: Italian approval of sending Ukraine military support hits historic low
Though the SAMP/T system is a powerful weapon, its purpose is strictly aimed at defending against incoming missile attacks.
The United States recently agreed to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons against targets in Russian territory, though officials claim that Biden made the move "only to defend the under-fire" Kharkov region against Russian forces.
The State Department clarified that the US has not authorized the use of long-range missiles, including ATACMS, inside Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also been a strong advocate of this initiative.
Last Friday, German Federal Government Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit mentioned that Berlin, along with other Western nations, agreed that Kiev could use Western weapons to repel attacks in the Kharkiv region.
On Sunday, the head of the German Defense Ministry's special staff for Ukraine, Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding said that he did not rule out the possibility of Kiev using Patriot missile systems to target Russian aviation over Russian territory.
Read more: Biden 'understands consequences' of allowing strikes in Russia: Kirby
