All news

Kiev expects to get more US air defense systems by year-end — official

The official added that the incumbent US administration assured him that additional deliveries would be possible "by the end of this year"

LONDON, November 30. /TASS/. The government of Ukraine is expecting to receive more air defense systems from the United States by the end of the year, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidential administration told the Financial Times.

Our partners know what exactly we need for today, for the next week, and next month. But still, we have some questions we are discussing which we think it’s necessary finally to settle," the Ukrainian official was quoted as saying. "I mean tanks, I mean long-distance missiles, I mean planes, I mean, of course, air defense."

The official added that the incumbent US administration assured him that additional deliveries would be possible "by the end of this year."

According to the Financial Times report, Joe Biden’s administration has been urgently amending its plans to prioritize the delivery of generators and air defense systems, including NASAMS.

"There may be a mix of air defense capabilities that we can provide very soon and others that we can provide down the road and we already are looking at all possible capabilities," the paper quoted a senior US defense official as saying.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after the first day of the NATO ministerial meeting on Tuesday that NATO was discussing possible supplies of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters later in the day that Washington currently has no plans of doing so at the moment.