EU : Europe’s reluctance to (again) come to the aid of Ukraine contrasts with U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Democrats who passed a $61 billion bill to further Ukraine’s war effort over the weekend, as Breitbart News reported.
Russia’s air force is vastly more powerful than Ukraine’s, but sophisticated missile systems provided by Kyiv’s Western partners can challenge Russian aviation as the Kremlin’s forces slowly push forward along the roughly 620-mile battlefront in the war, AP reports.
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said the Netherlands is “looking at every kind of possibility at the moment” and is offering financial support to a German initiative to help Ukraine bolster its air defenses and to buy more drones.
Asked at a meeting of European Union foreign and defense ministers why the Netherlands is reluctant to send some of its Patriot systems, Slot said: “We are looking again if we can deplete our store of what we still have, but that will be difficult.”
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson also expressed hesitancy over sharing the anti-aircraft missile system, saying: “I don’t exclude that possibility, but right now we’re focused on financial contributions.”
He said Sweden would send other systems that could “relieve some of the pressure” on the need for Patriots.
Questioned about whether Spain might step up with Patriots, the AP report notes Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said his country “will make its decisions based on the power it has in its hands to support Ukraine.”
“I don’t think we’re helping anyone if we hear all the time what it is that’s being given, when it’s being given and how it’s getting in,” he told reporters at the meeting in Luxembourg.
The Patriot is a guided missile system that can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles.
Each battery consists of a truck-mounted launching system with eight launchers that can hold up to four missile interceptors each, a ground radar, a control station and a generator.
A key advantage of the U.S.-made systems, apart from their effectiveness, is that Ukrainian troops are already trained to use them.
BY SIMON KENT
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Discussion about this post