Protection against missile attacks
Netherlands wants to deliver Patriot system to Ukraine
01/17/2023 10:07 p.m
The Patriot air defense system is mobile and can destroy missiles while they are still in the air. After Germany and the USA, the Netherlands now also agree to the delivery to Ukraine. The soldiers have already arrived in Oklahoma for Patriot training.
After the US and Germany, the Netherlands is also considering providing Ukraine with a Patriot air defense system. “We intend to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House. “I think that’s important and we’ve embraced that.”
He also discussed the issue with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Rutte added. The Dutch head of government referred to the Russian airstrike on a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro that killed more than 40 people over the weekend. “These are terrible pictures and I think it strengthens our determination to stay with Ukraine even more,” said Rutte.
The United States promised to supply a Patriot system to Ukraine in December during a visit to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Later, Germany also agreed to supply a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery. Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers have arrived at a US Army base in the state of Oklahoma to be trained on the Patriot system.
The air defense system of the US defense company Raytheon is supposed to offer Ukraine protection against Russian missile attacks. The ground-based Patriot system is mobile, the launchers can be mounted on trucks and use their guided missiles to destroy aircraft, missiles and cruise missiles in the air. In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up its rocket attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, but also on civilian targets.