According to them, there is consideration that Norway might acquire such weapons from Barcelona and Athens, and later transfer them to Kyiv. This deal will be discussed on September 1–2 at the meeting of the European Union defense and foreign ministers held in Ireland.
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Representatives from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland will also participate in the meetings.
“The main issue is air defense,” emphasized the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas before the meeting, adding that Ukraine “lacks missile interceptors.”
It is noted that Spain and Greece have some of the largest stocks of “PAC-2 Patriot” missile interceptors. However, as Bloomberg writes, some of them are nearing the end of their service life.
“We know that some countries have missile interceptors whose expiration dates are approaching,” K. Kallas noted. “So it would be very good if they were transferred to Ukraine.”
The Spanish newspaper Moncloa reported that Madrid is under significant pressure to transfer “Patriot” missiles to Ukraine. Spain had previously promised to provide Ukraine with military aid worth 1 billion euros by 2026.
Meanwhile, Greece was one of the first to send ammunition to Kyiv when the large-scale Russian invasion began, but recently refused to share its air defense system missiles.
Athens explains this decision by the need to maintain as large an arsenal as possible due to complicated relations with Turkey. Earlier, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that Kyiv requested Athens to provide 200 missile interceptors for the “Patriot” systems.
K. Kallas also acknowledged that missiles for Ukraine are currently being sought outside the European Union, writes Laisvės radijas.
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Sources in the bloc’s diplomatic circles indicated that help is primarily expected from South Korea and Japan.
“We are also reaching out to countries outside the European Union to obtain anti-missile weapons for civilian protection, but of course, this is very complicated. At the same time, work continues to integrate European capabilities in the field of anti-missile systems, especially in cooperation with Ukraine,” said a senior official.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv needs at least 5% of the US’s “Patriot” missile stockpiles to survive the winter and repel Russian attacks.
As the Ukrainian leader said, in mid-August Kyiv had only 1% of such weapons. He also emphasized that Russia launches twice as many ballistic missiles monthly compared to the same time last year, while Ukraine has 2.5 times fewer weapons suitable for shooting down ballistic missiles.
Earlier, V. Zelensky spoke about daily attempts to negotiate with allies for missile interceptor supplies and called the current situation “one of the biggest challenges” he has faced since the war began.
In July, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, the Ukrainian leader requested 100 “Patriot” missiles. According to sources from the Financial Times, the American leader rejected the request, arguing that this weaponry is needed to protect US military bases in the Middle East.
Moreover, V. Zelensky also asked D. Trump to issue licenses for the production of “Patriot” missile interceptors in Ukraine. The US president promised to fulfill the Ukrainian leader’s request but later changed his mind. He said it is “difficult to give away such technology” because “those to whom you give it may one day turn against you.”
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