Romania donates Patriot system to Ukraine

Today, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis unveiled a government-initiated bill on transferring the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine. It was recently supported by the Romanian parliament.

Ukraine will receive the Patriot in the configuration agreed with its American partner. The Romanian government is now authorized to take the necessary measures to restore ground-based air defense capabilities, meaning Romania will now purchase another Patriot to protect its skies, replacing the one that will be transferred to Ukraine.

The Patriot air defense system is an advanced air defense system developed by the United States to protect against missile and air attacks. It is capable of engaging tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. Patriot is widely used both in the United States and in many countries around the world.

Main features of the system:

• Multifunctionality: capable of simultaneously tracking and destroying multiple targets.
• Radar: highly sensitive radar that can detect threats at a great distance.
• Interception: capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a range of up to 160 km and an altitude of up to 24 km.

For Ukraine, a Patriot is an important element in protecting critical infrastructure and civilians from Russian air and missile attacks.

Backstory

Back on June 20, Romania promised to provide Ukraine with one Patriot battery. On August 30, the Romanian Ministry of Defense sent a bill to the parliament to transfer the Patriot system to Ukraine.

Recently, the Romanian coalition government approved a bill that allows for the transfer of one of the two operational Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine.

Romania supplies Ukraine with weapons and assists with exports through its ports, but often in a non-public manner. Read RBC-Ukraine's article to find out what is behind Romania's position and what to expect in the future.