In a $6 billion deal, the Pentagon will "rush" Patriot weapons to Ukraine

In a $6 billion deal, the Pentagon will "rush" Patriot weapons to Ukraine

As part of its latest military assistance package, the Pentagon said it will "rush" artillery ammunition and Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine.

This will need the US to spend $6 billion (£4.8 billion), as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday.

But there will be no delivery of Patriot missile launch systems.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Patriots "can and should save lives right now" in the face of an increasing Russian aviation threat. They are "urgently" required.

The $6 billion was a component of the $60 billion relief package that US President Joe Biden signed into law on Wednesday, along with an additional $1 billion in emergency help, a source told the BBC.

At a press conference, Mr. Austin said that the US would "move immediately" to provide the supplies to Ukraine and was committed to its greatest security assistance package to date.

These would not include Patriot missile systems, but they would include artillery ammunition, counterdrone systems, and air defense munitions.

"It's not just Patriots that they [the Ukrainians] need, they must have other types of systems and interceptors as well," added Austin. "I was to warn us all in terms of making Patriot the silver bullet."

He went on to say he was sure Kyiv will soon have access to additional missile systems. He said that discussions were under progress with European partners to provide more capabilities.

General Charles Brown, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the support ought to do away with the need for the Ukrainians to limit their ammunition supply on the front lines.

Ukraine's appeal for air defense in southern Europe is unsuccessful.

What kind of weaponry does Ukraine receive?

In order for Ukraine to begin producing more of the ammunition it sorely needs, some of the most recent cash will also go toward developing its own defense sector.

According to Mr. Austin, Russia has already boosted its own manufacturing of weaponry, including artillery ammunition, and is also receiving support from North Korea and Iran.

"Understand what's at stake for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the United States," he said. "Europe would confront a security danger it hasn't seen in a very long time if Putin wins in Ukraine. Russia won't give up on Ukraine."

Mr. Austin said that the US commitment was "material, real, and substantial" but "not instantaneous" when asked whether the assistance would safeguard Ukrainian soldiers.

"Getting it in there and distributing it will take some time. The Ukrainians can do even better now that they have the capacity to hold."

The comments from the defense secretary coincided with Ukraine's warning on Friday that Russia was stepping up railroad strikes in anticipation of a new onslaught.

Moscow aims to harm Ukraine's railway network in order to "paralyze deliveries and movement of military cargo," a Ukrainian security source told AFP.

According to German Galushchenko, Ukraine's energy minister, Russia targeted three regions' energy infrastructure early on Saturday.

With only a few Patriots to supplement other Western missile defense systems and existing stockpiles of Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), such the S-300, Ukraine only has a limited number of SAMs. US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin claimed that the assistance package was the biggest pledged to Ukraine to far.

These are Ukraine's most costly and powerful air defense systems. A Patriot battery may cost up to $1 billion (£800 million), whereas a missile can cost up to $4 million.

Germany has already committed to provide an additional Patriot system, and earlier this month, its foreign and defense ministries urged its European peers to act quickly.

Greece declared that none of its Patriot and S-300 aircraft could be spared.

According to Greek Prime Minister Kyrios Mitsotakis, "We explained why we cannot do it," Skai TV said.

His declared that "critical systems for the protection of Greek air space" were his nation's air defenses.

There are rumors that Spain will provide some Patriot missiles, but not a whole system.

As Russia continues to advance while Kyiv's munitions supplies run low, the latter has increased its requests for Western aid in recent months.

The US and its allies' military assistance delays, according to Ukrainian authorities, are to blame for the country's territorial and human cost.