Romanian Defense Ministry submits bill to Parliament on sending Patriot systems to Ukraine
Illustrative photo: Romania's Defense Ministry has submitted a bill to the Parliament to transfer Patriot to Ukraine (Getty Images)
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has submitted a bill to parliament regarding the transfer of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, according to Radio Liberty.
The bill proposes transferring one of the seven Patriot systems purchased from the US in the 3+ version. This is the most advanced configuration of the Patriot system, used by both the United States and nearly 20 other allies.
Four Patriots have already arrived in Romania, with two in operational use. The other three will arrive in the near future.
According to the National Defense Council's requirements, Romania must negotiate with its NATO allies, including the US, to acquire a new Patriot system to replace the one being transferred to Ukraine.
The costs of purchasing a new system will be covered by international funds allocated for Ukraine.
However, the Parliament must also approve the acquisition of the new system, which will cost approximately $60 million in fees and commissions, to be covered by the Romanian defense budget.
Background
In early spring, after Russian shelling intensified, Ukraine asked its partners to provide additional Patriot systems capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
Germany, the US, Romania, and the Netherlands announced plans to supply Patriots, while Italy promised to provide a SAMP-T battery, also capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
Currently, only information about the transfer of the Patriot system from Germany to Ukraine is publicly available. This happened in early July. Also, as part of the military aid package, Ukrainian soldiers received naval boats and Vector drones.
