Italy to Provide Ukraine with Second SAMP/T Air Defence System

In a new military aid package for Ukraine, Italy will deliver another SAMP/T air defence system. This announcement was made by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Rai Radio1.

As stated by the Italian official, the full contents of the aid package are not being disclosed for security reasons. However, he confirmed that it will definitely include the SAMP/T system. This move responds to the Ukrainian leadership's calls for more air defence systems to repel Russian attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, particularly on energy sector facilities.

"We will send the SAMP/T, which is an air defence system, that is, the protection Ukraine itself has asked for, it is no secret," said Antonio Tajani.

The Italian Foreign Minister also emphasised that Italy will not be sending troops to Ukraine, and Italian weapons cannot be used to strike targets within Russian territory.

According to Reuters, Italy will supply Ukraine with the SAMP/T system currently deployed in Kuwait. However, the exact delivery date of the new aid package has not yet been officially announced. Media reports suggest that Italy may approve this package after the G7 summit in mid-June.

It is worth recalling that Ukraine received its first SAMP/T battery from Italy in 2023. This Franco-Italian system can track dozens of targets and intercept ten simultaneously. It is also the only European air defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, which is crucial for the defence of Kharkiv, regularly targeted by Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Notably, as reported by The Gaze, on the night of 31 May, a Russian terrorist attack on Kharkiv's civilian infrastructure and residential areas resulted in five deaths and 25 injuries.