Rubio: U.S. Will Urge NATO Allies to Send Patriot Systems to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will work to persuade NATO allies to transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, which urgently needs them to fend off ongoing Russian attacks, The Gaze reports, citing European Pravda.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Rubio emphasized that Ukraine requires more Patriot batteries, many of which are currently held by European nations.

“But no one wants to give them up. So I hope that changes,” Rubio said. “If Ukraine is truly a priority—as many European countries say it is—then they should be willing to share batteries they don’t currently need. We hope we can convince some of our NATO partners to provide these Patriot batteries to Ukraine.”

Rubio specifically mentioned Spain and Germany as potential donors: “I’m not singling them out, I’m just saying those are two I know of. There are other Patriot batteries, and other options as well,” he noted. 

“Some countries have Patriot systems on order and are expecting deliveries soon. It would be great if one of them volunteered to delay their shipment and instead send that system to Ukraine.”

He added that the United States is exploring “creative ways” to supply Ukraine with the critical defense tools it needs.

As The Gaze previously reported, the United States has only about 25% of the Patriot interceptor missiles needed for all of the Pentagon's military plans after stocks in the Middle East were depleted in recent months.