NEW YORK, September 8. /TASS/. European countries are planning to buy US-supplied Patriot interceptors for Ukraine by next winter, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans.

According to the news agency, the countries are currently finalizing their plan to use NATO’s program known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) to purchase more interceptors that will be supplied to Kiev in time for the winter. The people declined to elaborate on the number of missiles for security reasons.

The plans were discussed at a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, attended by the United States, on Tuesday. Greece, Germany and the Czech Republic are expected to make donations, while Britain has already announced a contribution of 100 million pounds to the PURL package, with a part of it going toward Patriot interceptor purchases.

In addition, the EU also agreed a derogation allowing Ukraine to buy US-made interceptors for the Patriot air defense system, using the bloc’s military funding program. The decision reflects Europe’s ongoing struggle to increase its own defense industry as numerous EU countries had expected to spend the funds on the purchase of EU-made SAMP/T air defense systems, Bloomberg noted.