Ukraine Seeks Billions From EU for Patriot Missiles

Ukraine has asked the European Commission to provide several billion euros from the EU’s €90 billion ($105 billion) support loan to purchase PAC-3 Patriot air defense missiles, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, Sept. 2. According to European Pravda, von der Leyen announced the request in Brussels before a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “It is worth several billion euros and would cover Ukraine’s air defense needs, including high-end PAC-3 air defense systems,” von der Leyen said. EU member states are currently reviewing Kyiv’s request, she added. Von der Leyen said it was moving in the right direction but did not provide a timeline for its approval. What would the EU funding cover? The requested funding would finance Ukraine’s air defense needs, primarily PAC-3 interceptor missiles – Ukraine’s primary defense against Russian ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a critical Patriot shortage for months before announcing a new delivery of unspecified quantity in late August. The funding would come from the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, which is already operational. Von der Leyen said the EU had disbursed €8.5 billion (around $9.9 billion) from the loan since June to fund drones and missiles for Ukraine. The money will also be used to purchase fighter jets from European manufacturers. Other Topics of Interest Zelensky Warns International Airlines: ‘Safe Days in Russia’s Skies Are Over’ The president warned airlines and insurers that Russia’s own war is now closing its skies as Ukrainian drones and missiles reach deeper into Russian territory. At the same time, the EU and Ukraine are working on Freyja, a joint project to develop a European anti-ballistic missile defense system, von der Leyen said. The funding request follows talks between Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara and EU defense ministers on Tuesday, Sept. 1, during which Khmara briefed the latter on the battlefield situation and Ukraine’s most urgent military requirements, with air defense identified as the top priority. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said interceptor missiles were in short supply and urged member states to review their existing stocks. Kallas specifically called on countries to transfer or sell Ukraine Patriot missiles approaching the end of their service life. “Every interceptor that we provide to Ukraine is a Russian missile that does not hit a Ukrainian school, home or hospital,” Kallas said. European leaders are also considering holding another meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in the US in September to discuss supplies of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.