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US delivers first two NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine — manufacturer

Washington promised to supply a total of eight of these systems to Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative

NEW YORK, October 26. /TASS/. The United States has delivered the first two NASAMS short-to medium range ground-based air defense systems to Ukraine, said Greg Hayes, the CEO of the system’s manufacturer Raytheon Technologies.

"We did just deliver two NASAMS systems," he told CNBC. "We delivered two of them to the government a couple of weeks ago. They’re being installed in Ukraine."

The US is hoping to provide Kiev with two NASAMS air defense systems in the near future, National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on October 11.

Washington promised to supply a total of eight of these systems to Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, he said. That means the systems will be made under a contract with their manufacturer, rather be drawn down from Pentagon inventories.

On February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. The West retaliated to the Russian decision by imposing sweeping sanctions on the country and stepped up shipments of weapons to Kiev, which by now are worth billions of dollars.