The U.S. government has decided to fast-track the delivery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, which is currently under attack by Russia. Consequently, deliveries to countries like South Korea, which have also purchased Patriots, are expected to be delayed.
On the 20th, the Financial Times (FT) reported that the White House had decided to prioritize supplying Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby announced that the export priority for the missiles being produced will be rearranged, with Ukraine receiving them first. He mentioned that deliveries are expected to be completed before the end of summer.
He stated that a “difficult but necessary decision” was made to delay deliveries to other allies to prioritize Ukraine, allowing it to stockpile the necessary resources for the ongoing conflict.
The U.S. government did not specify the scale of the delivery to Ukraine but announced that the missiles produced over the next 16 months would be prioritized for this purpose.
Alongside the Patriots, the medium-range air defense missile system NASAMS will also be provided to Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted a U.S. congressional source, stating that this decision would delay the delivery of Patriots to countries like South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had previously agreed to purchase them.
The FT reports that the U.S. government has individually informed each country that has purchased Patriots about the delay.
However, the delivery of air defense weapons to Taiwan is expected to proceed without delay.
Ukraine currently possesses at least four Patriot missile systems provided by the U.S. and Germany.
The importance of strengthening air defense has increased as Russia continues to target Ukraine’s power facilities and has intensified its offensive against Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, over the past few months.
