The Pentagon announced a massive $6 billion security assistance package for Ukraine on Friday that includes interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
The package was justified using the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) authority, allowing the Pentagon to issue contracts for new production, and includes more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and equipment to help Ukraine’s military make Western-origin equipment interoperable with its Soviet-era weaponry, according to a press release. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of the coveted Patriot air defense system at a meeting of defense ministers on Friday, where Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revealed the unusually large package, The Associated Press reported.
“We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Zelenskyy said at the virtual…
