Most of seven promised Patriot systems have already been delivered to Ukraine or will be handed over shortly, Rutte stated
Ukraine will soon receive new Patriot systems, which were promised to be transferred to NATO member states at the NATO summit in Washington in June 2024. We are talking about seven units.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this in an interview with We Are Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
According to Rutte, the Alliance is trying to facilitate the supply of air defence systems to Ukraine as much as possible, but a lot of communication on this issue takes place in a bilateral format between Ukraine and individual countries.
‘First of all, let's recognise that Ukraine needs more air defence. That is why every air defence system we can supply to Ukraine is good because it saves lives,’ the NATO Secretary General stressed.
Rutte recalled the recent Russian missile attack on Sumy, which killed more than 30 people, which once again underlines the critical importance of air defence systems for Ukraine.
Regarding the new Patriot systems that Ukraine is ready to buy, he noted that such issues are discussed at the Ramstein meetings, which bring together NATO member states and partners, including Switzerland, Bosnia, Argentina and Georgia.
‘There are bilateral talks between Ukraine and individual countries, for example, on supplying more air defence systems to Ukraine. And then we try to be as discreet as possible to stay involved,’ Rutte explained.
At the same time, Rutte said that out of the seven Patriot systems that were promised to Ukraine at the NATO summit in Washington, most have already been delivered or will be delivered in the near future.
‘For example, the NATO summit in Washington, where they pledged to supply Ukraine with Patriot systems. It took a little time. Fortunately, most of them have already been delivered or will be delivered in the near future,’ the Secretary General added.
