US Approves Transfer Of Hundreds Of Missiles For HIMARS And Patriot To Ukraine

The munitions belong to the German Bundeswehr.

The United States has authorized Germany to transfer 100 missiles for Patriot air defense systems and 125 long-range missiles for HIMARS and MARS II artillery systems to Ukraine, The New York Times (NYT) writes, citing a U.S. congressional official.

Although the munitions belong to the Bundeswehr, their delivery to other countries must be coordinated with the United States as the producing state.

Ukraine badly needs the Patriot SAMs themselves, as only they can effectively shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. It now has eight such systems, but only six of them are operational. German Defense Ministry chief Boris Pistorius said in April that Berlin did not yet have the capability to transfer additional Patriot to Kiev, but it promised to supply 30 missiles for the U.S. systems the AFU already has and four German IRIS-T SLM air defense systems. Another 90 missiles for Patriot were taken to Poland from Israel for subsequent transfer to Kiev in January, Axios wrote.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he was ready to buy 10 Patriot missiles from the U.S. for $15 billion, but the offer went unanswered. Nevertheless, amid Russia's rejection of an unconditional ceasefire and intensified shelling of Ukrainian cities that has resulted in numerous casualties, Western allies have begun talks to transfer additional Patriot missiles to Kiev, a Reuters source said. The parties intend to reach a relevant agreement before the NATO summit in late June.

Ukraine should also receive one Patriot system from Israel by the summer, the delivery of which was agreed upon with the White House under President Joe Biden, NYT's interlocutors among U.S. officials said. Zelensky noted that 25 such SAMs are needed to fully defend the country. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, there are about 186 Patriots in operation worldwide. A third of them are used by the United States and about 40 by European countries, including Ukraine.

The new Patriot system consists of five to eight launchers, each equipped with four interceptor missiles. The cost of one projectile is estimated at $4 million, and the system itself at $1 billion.

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