Spain says will send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine

(FILES) Spain's Minister of Defense Margarita Robles delivers a speech during the signing ceremony of a contract between the French, German and Spanish Defence ministers for the Future Air Combat System (FCAS), in Madrid on 28 April 2023.
(FILES) Spain's Minister of Defense Margarita Robles delivers a speech during the signing ceremony of a contract between the French, German and Spanish Defence ministers for the Future Air Combat System (FCAS), in Madrid on 28 April 2023. Thomas COEX / AFP

Spain will send US-made Patriot air defense missile systems to Ukraine, which has asked for more military equipment to resist Russian attacks, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday.

Madrid will supply "a set of long-range Patriot anti-aircraft interceptor missiles", Robles told a ministerial meeting of the so-called contact group for the defence of Ukraine, the defense ministry said in a statement.

It did not specify how many missiles Spain would provide.

This month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NATO members that his country needed a minimum of seven Patriot or other high-end air defence systems to counter Russian air strikes, urging them to step up their military assistance for Kyiv.

European Union foreign and defence ministers vowed at a meeting on Monday to maintain their aid to Ukraine, but without committing to the delivery of air defense equipment.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares avoided answering repeated questions about whether Madrid would send Patriot units to Ukraine.

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