EU pressures Spain and Greece to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles
The European Commission is putting pressure on Greece and Spain, which still have significant stocks of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, to transfer them to Ukraine.
This was reported by Bloomberg, Euronews and Politico, citing their own sources, according to Censor.NET.
The issue will be discussed on 1-2 September at a meeting of EU defence and foreign ministers in Dublin.
Missile stocks in EU countries
Spain and Greece currently have some of the largest Patriot missile stocks among Ukraine's allies. In particular, this concerns PAC-2 interceptors, some of which are also approaching the end of their shelf life.
At the same time, Greece has repeatedly refused to transfer them, arguing that it needs the missiles to protect Greek airspace due to tense relations with Turkey. Spain said back in March that it would provide Ukraine with five PAC-2 interceptors.
One EU diplomat noted that Madrid and Athens’ reluctance to part with the missiles is nothing new, but the problem is becoming increasingly acute as Zelenskyy is now pushing more actively for additional munitions: Patriots for Ukraine have become the "main topic of the summer."
Assistance from Asian countries
The European External Action Service is also holding talks with Asian countries — South Korea and Japan — on transferring Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. However, Europeans fear that tensions between both countries and China could stand in the way.
One diplomat acknowledged that the problem with Ukraine’s missile stocks is "very serious," but Tuesday’s meeting is informal and is therefore unlikely to produce a tangible result.
- Kyiv is currently considering whether to use the next tranche of the EU’s €90 billion loan package to purchase missile defense systems — either Patriot itself or its Franco-Italian counterpart, SAMP/T NG.
