US and Nato officials have said that air and missile defense support will be a focus of Wednesday’s talks among countries that have pledged to provide Ukraine with close to $40bn in weapons and defense funding since February.
Nato countries including Poland and the UK have provided various air defense platforms to Ukraine since the start of the war, from handheld missile launchers to more complex truck-mounted systems, creating a patchwork network of protection alongside Ukraine’s own post-Soviet systems such as the S-300.
The US has promised to deliver two platforms of its advanced National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (Nasams) in the next two months, as well as six more that will arrive over the longer term, officials have said, according to Financial Times.
Mar Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the meetings would “take a hard look” at Ukraine’s needs.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of Nato, said on Tuesday that while he welcomed “recent announcements by allies to provide more advanced air defense systems”, he “look[ed] forward to further deliveries”.
RHM/PR