US finalizing plan to send Patriot air defense system to Ukraine

Analysts say Patriot air defense capability would be ‘significant’ for Ukraine as it tries to protect civilians and key infrastructure from attacks.

The United States is finalizing plans to send its sophisticated Patriot air defense system to Ukraine following an urgent request from Kyiv, which wants more robust weapons to shoot down Russian missiles and drones that have devastated the country’s energy infrastructure and left millions without heating in the bitter cold of winter.

Washington could announce a decision on the Patriot as soon as Thursday, US government officials said.

Ukraine’s air defense systems were tested again early on Wednesday morning, Mayor Vitali Klitschko saying emergency services had been dispatched to the Shevchenkivskyi district after explosions were heard.

“Details later,” he added on his Telegram channel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed Western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to his country. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine.

Gaining Patriot air defense capability would be “very, very significant” for Kyiv, said Alexander Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and onetime leader of Ukraine policy at the White House.