NATO and European Union countries are pressuring Spain and Greece to provide Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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According to people familiar with the matter, "the requests were made in the summer and include the possibility that Norway could buy the missiles before transferring them to Ukraine."
The issue, as stated, will be on the agenda on Tuesday and Wednesday, when EU defense and foreign ministers meet in Ireland. Representatives of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland will also join, the publication writes.
"The main issue is air defense," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday before meeting with the ministers. Ukraine, she said, "lacks interceptor missiles."
Ukraine has made urgent requests in recent months for an increase in the number of air defense systems, the publication notes.
"Spain and Greece have some of the largest reserves of Patriot missiles among Ukraine's allies. Both countries also have stocks of interceptor missiles whose expiration dates are approaching. The allies are specifically seeking to obtain these countries' PAC-2 missiles," the publication says.
"We know that some countries have interceptor missiles whose expiration dates will soon expire. Therefore, it would be very good if they were provided to Ukraine," Kallas said.
Greece was one of the first countries to send ammunition to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion, but it has resisted pressure to donate Patriot missiles, the publication writes. The country says it needs the missiles for its own defense amid its long-standing rivalry with Turkey.
Spain said at the beginning of this year that it would provide Ukraine with 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in military aid in 2026.
A spokesperson for the Greek government declined to comment, as did a representative of Spain's Ministry of Defense.
"Ukraine received intelligence that Russia is preparing for a possible new ground offensive against Kyiv," Bloomberg previously reported.
But finding Patriot missiles for Ukraine is a logistical challenge, the publication writes.
Many EU countries, such as Germany, say that giving up more Patriot missiles would jeopardize their own security. The United States has also depleted its own stocks during the war in Iran, the publication notes.
Meanwhile, producing more missiles will take time. Both the Patriot system and the European alternative, SAMP/T, have faced long waiting lists and production delays.
Some air defense systems are still expected to go to Ukraine in the coming months through PURL, a program that allows NATO allies to purchase U.S. weapons for Kyiv.
But, as noted, EU countries are discussing whether to allow Ukraine to purchase more Patriot missiles using its own 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine. Countries such as France and Italy want this money to be used for the SAMP/T system, but others fear that this could create unnecessary challenges for Ukraine. EU members will vote on the issue next Monday, the publication writes.