Ukraine to receive Dutch Patriots

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Jan 00:00
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Many Western countries remain uncertain in regard to their arms policy toward Kiev.

Patriot missile defence system is seen at Sliac Airport, in Sliac, near Zvolen, Slovakia, May 6, 2022 (REUTERS)

Dutch PM Mark Rutte says the Netherlands intends to follow suit with the United States and Germany in sending a Patriot air defense system battery and will soon make its final decision.

The United States and Germany are both sending one Patriot battery air defense system to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense capabilities. It's even reported that several Ukrainian troops have gone to Oklahoma to undergo the training necessary for manning the Patriot batteries.

Several Ukrainian troops reportedly have already arrived at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to begin training on the Patriot system, which may take several months to complete.

"We have the intention to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project," Rutte said ahead of talks with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Furthermore, Jose Manuel Albares the Spanish foreign minister says that the Spanish government does not yet plan on sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

This comes in response to media reports about a potential dispatch of 40 Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine back in June. Variants of this narrative kept circulating in the media: It was reported that Madrid had scaled back its dispatch to 10 tanks after being pressured by Berlin, the country of origin of these tanks.

"That possibility [the transfer of tanks] is not on the table as we are speaking today, but the way Spain is behaving in this Ukrainian war is at each stage, we do what we think is the best to help Ukrainians to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to bring peace the fastest as possible to the country," Albares said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

He added that in a few days, EU defense ministers will be meeting to decide on important issues. "We like to do things together and united because we think that’s the best tool to bring peace to Ukraine,"

In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev: pumping Ukraine with weapons does not contribute to the success of peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict.

NATO plays a complex game in Ukraine, as their military assistance package looks to be aimed at draining Russia in war attrition while exaggerating the quantities might lead to direct conflict between Russia and NATO.