Joe Biden Hands Ukraine Huge Air Defenses Boost

Several NATO countries, including the U.S., will furnish Ukraine with "dozens" of air defense systems in the next few months, Joe Biden said, as the alliance beefs up Ukraine's protection against highly destructive Russian aerial attacks.

The U.S., Germany and Romania will deliver three additional Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine, the U.S. president said, as a NATO summit kicked off in Washington. The Netherlands and "other partners" will contribute components to get a fourth new Patriot battery operational, the president said, adding that Italy will send another of its SAMP-T air defense systems.

"In addition, in the coming months, the United States and partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of tactical air defense systems," Biden said. This will include German-made self-propelled Gepard anti-aircraft guns, NASAMS medium-range air defense systems, and variants of IRIS-T systems.

"These systems will further expand and strengthen Ukraine's air defense coverage," the U.S. president said.

Ukraine has long lobbied for air defense systems from its Western allies, not least the U.S.-made Patriots that are considered the gold-standard of air defense.

Russia has been consistently hammering Ukraine with missile and drones strikes, while Kyiv warned it was running out of air defense missiles to knock out incoming targets.

On Monday, Russian missiles struck several Ukrainian cities and killed tens of civilians, according to Ukrainian authorities. In one of the most intensive missile barrages of the full-scale war, a United Nations assessment indicated that Ukraine's largest children's hospital, located in the country's capital, took a "direct hit" from a Russian missile.

Shortly after Moscow's attacks, Biden said that the U.S. and its partners would be announcing "new measures to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes," but he did not elaborate.

The four additional Patriot systems and Rome's SAMP-T "will help to protect Ukrainian cities, civilians, and soldiers," Biden said on Tuesday. "We are coordinating closely with the Ukrainian government so that these systems can be utilized rapidly."

Recent military aid packages unveiled by Kyiv's supporters have positioned air defense assets as a priority. Earlier this month, Washington announced a fresh tranche of aid from the U.S. — worth around $150 million — which included fresh deliveries of interceptor missiles for Kyiv's air defense systems.

The Pentagon also said it would dedicate more than $2 billion to providing Ukraine with more air defense interceptor missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Biden's announcement as "an exceptional decision" from the U.S. and Ukraine's other allies. "The Ukrainian people are grateful," he added.

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