Secretary General expects NATO members to provide new air defence systems to Ukraine soon

The attendees at a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting held on 19 April have decided to provide Kyiv with more air defence systems, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced.

Stoltenberg said at a press conference following the virtual meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council that the NATO defence ministers in attendance have decided to bolster and expand military support, including strengthening Ukraine’s air defence.

"NATO has mapped out existing capabilities across the Alliance and there are systems that can be made available to Ukraine. So I expect new announcements on air defence capabilities for Ukraine soon," Stoltenberg stated.

He pointed out that members of the Alliance can provide Kyiv with other air defence systems than Patriots, such as SAMP/Ts, or assistance in the form of financial support if they do not have air defence systems.

"We are also working with industry to ramp up production and to refurbish systems to make them operational and fit for purpose."

Earlier this week, the Secretary General said that NATO members have enough air defence systems in total to meet Ukraine's request to transfer some of them.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany is trying to find six more Patriot air defence systems in NATO countries in addition to the one it has promised to send.