The EU is pushing Greece and Spain to supply Ukraine with air defense systems

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Ukraine this month asked its Western partners to urgently provide 7 additional air defense systems, including Patriot or the Soviet S-300, as the Russian Federation steps up air and missile attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.

“Patriot can be called air defense systems only when they are working and saving human lives, not when they are standing motionless somewhere in warehouses,” stressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Appeal to Madrid and Athens: You don’t need Patriot as much as Ukraine

The Financial Times notes that only Germany has announced the delivery of one Patriot system, while other EU leaders at the Brussels summit have personally called on Spanish and Greek prime ministers Pedro Sanchez and Kyriakos Mitsotakis to transfer some of their systems to Ukraine.

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The armies of Greece and Spain have dozens of Patriot systems and others such as the S-300. Europe argues that the needs of both countries are not as great as Ukraine’s and that they face no immediate threat.

“We all know who has them, we know where they are and we know who really needs them,” says one panelist.

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Less pressure on Poland and Romania

Officials also told the publication that pressure on Poland and Romania is less because they border Ukraine.

Pressure to provide air defense systems will intensify as foreign and defense ministers from all 27 EU member states meet in Luxembourg, officials told the FT. Ukraine is particularly interested in the outdated Greek S-300 systems, which the Ukrainian forces already have in service and with which they have gained experience, the publication also writes.

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“There are countries that, frankly, do not need the immediate acquisition of air defense systems. Each country is asked to decide what it can sacrifice,” said one of the EU diplomats involved in the preparations for the meeting.

In turn, the defense ministries of Greece and Spain refuse to comment on the situation.

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Air defense for Ukraine – an urgent need

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the countries of the Alliance are ready to transfer more air defense systems to Ukraine.

“NATO Defense Ministers agreed to strengthen and provide additional military support, including more air defense systems. NATO has identified existing capabilities across the Alliance. There are systems that can be provided to Ukraine. That is why I expect new announcements soon about air defense capabilities,” he noted.

The Ukrainian military no longer has anti-aircraft defense systems in the Chasov Yar area, where some of the heaviest battles on the front are currently taking place, UNIAN writes.

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