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The US has pledged to switch the S-300 missile protection system that Slovakia despatched to Ukraine with one in every of its personal Patriot methods, President Joe Biden introduced on Friday. Bratislava beforehand revealed it had “donated” its solely S-300 system to Kiev earlier on Friday.
“I need to thank the Slovakian authorities for offering an S-300 air protection system to Ukraine, one thing [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky has personally raised with me in our conversations,” Biden declared in a press release promising a substitute system.
The US president additionally issued a imprecise warning in opposition to “complacency” in NATO’s response to Russian navy exercise in Ukraine, stating that “because the Russian navy repositions for the following part of this conflict, I’ve directed my Administration to proceed to spare no effort to determine and supply to the Ukrainian navy the superior weapons capabilities it must defend its nation.”
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin promised to ship the missiles “in coming days,” whereas acknowledging there was no “mounted” deployment size, and that Washington was nonetheless consulting with the Slovak authorities over “extra everlasting air protection options.” Nevertheless, he mentioned the deployment of the Patriot system “aligns completely” with US efforts to bolster NATO’s air defenses.
READ MORE:
Russia accuses Ukraine of backpedaling in peace talks
The US has shipped tens of billions of {dollars}’ price of weapons and different navy assist to Ukraine within the final a number of weeks to bolster the Zelensky authorities’s battle in opposition to Russia. A lot of European allies have additionally joined in sending navy assist. Whereas the Kremlin has expressed hope that the conflict might be over within the close to future, it has additionally accused Kiev of backpedaling on peace negotiations, claiming that the Ukrainian facet is trying to stall for time and proceed the battle. Moscow has additionally argued that additional weapons deliveries will solely lengthen the agony and that they might be focused by the Russian navy.
In the meantime, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger harassed that the “donation” of his nation’s solely S-300 missile protection system to Ukraine didn’t represent getting into the conflict in opposition to Russia, declaring in a Fb submit that he had made the “accountable” determination for the reason that system was “purely defensive.” Whereas he didn’t identify the US on the time, he promised Bratislava had not compromised its personal safety, pledging its air defenses would quickly be replenished by “allies.”
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