Ukraine has been appealing to get the Patriot system for a long time, and Zelenskyy described the addition as “an important step in creating an effective air defense”.
The new support package that includes Patriot is worth 1.85 billion dollars, equivalent to almost 20 billion kroner.
Kremlin: Means escalation
Russia has previously warned that Patriot would mean an escalation of US involvement in the war and singled out the system as “legitimate targets” for Russian attacks. But at the press conference, Biden claimed that Patriot is a “defense system, not escalating.”
SVT’s incoming US correspondent Fouad Youcef calls the announcement “symbolically important”.
– We have seen a lot of air attacks against Ukraine recently and that is exactly what the Patriot is said to be so effective against.
Strong but failing will to support
With the new addition, the Biden administration expects to have contributed 22 billion dollars, or almost 230 billion kroner, in military support to Ukraine.
At the same time, the willingness to support Ukraine militarily is beginning to wane among some Americans, although it remains high according to Youcefi
– We are starting to see a difference. Among Republicans, it is only a narrow majority in favor.