The U.S. ponders sending Patriots to Ukraine

The U.S. is considering sending its Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to support the country’s air defense, CNN reported Tuesday, referring to a senior U.S. defense official.

The official called air defense of Ukraine is the U.S.’s “top priority.” “We’re looking at all the possible capabilities that could help the Ukrainians withstand Russian attacks, so all the capabilities are on the table, and we are looking at what the United States can do, we’re looking at what our allies and partners can do, and looking at combinations of capabilities that would be useful,” the official added.

However, later that day, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a briefing that the U.S. has “no plans to provide Patriot batteries to Ukraine” right now, according to CNN. Mentioning regular consultations with and allies on Ukraine’s defense needs, he said, “Right now, we have no plans to provide Patriot batteries to Ukraine, but again we’ll continue to have those discussions, and when and if there’s something to announce on that front, we will.”

The general pointed out that part of the challenge with sending Patriot batteries to Ukraine is that those systems require a “pretty significant maintenance and sustainment tail as well as a training tail on those things.”

“None of these systems are plug and play, you can’t just show up on the battlefield and start using them, so those are the kinds of things that are taken into account when it comes to more advanced systems,” Ryder said.