Minister of Foreign Affairs on Ukraine's air defense top priorities: Not only Patriot
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
Ukraine's strengthening of its air defense is one of the priorities for this year. Ukraine wants to acquire the Patriot air defense system and the Samp-T systems, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, at the Diplomacy in Times of War forum.
"The first (priority for 2024) is air defense. And not just air defense - but Patriot and Samp-T, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. We need to act very focused, without dilution," the minister said.
Kuleba emphasized that Ukraine does not want a response like "you are working on strengthening air defense."
"We are interested in how many Patriot batteries and when, how many Samp-T batteries and when," the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated.
About Samp-T
France and Italy jointly provided Ukraine with the Samp-T missile defense system in 2023. Information about the operation of the Samp-T air defense system in Ukraine is scarce. An expert commented to RBC-Ukraine that this is due to Italy and France's approach, which transferred it to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Samp-T systems can intercept targets up to 150 kilometers away and at altitudes of up to 25 kilometers. The air defense system can also destroy ballistic missiles.
Patriot for Ukraine
Recall that Ukraine received the American Patriot air defense system from its partners. Thanks to this system, Ukraine can intercept aeroballistic missiles like Kinzhal and other ballistic missiles launched by Russia against our country.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that to fully cover Ukraine, 25 Patriot systems with 6-8 batteries each are needed.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that Ukraine has identified 100 available Patriot systems worldwide but initially wants to receive seven for protection against Russian missiles.
