NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg mentioned on Thursday Spain was sending 4 medium-range air protection techniques to Ukraine, as Western backers scramble to assist Kyiv towards Russia’s missile barrages.
Ukraine’s worldwide supporters have held talks on the NATO headquarters in Brussels with the give attention to air defenses after Moscow unleashed a blitz throughout Ukraine following a blast at a bridge to the annexed Crimea peninsula.
Stoltenberg mentioned the older Hawk launchers from Madrid would complement extra trendy techniques being provided by Germany, France, and the US.
“We now have seen that once we mobilise, once we name on NATO allies to do extra, they’re really doing extra, and that’s making an enormous distinction,” Stoltenberg mentioned after the NATO protection ministers meet.
US Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin thanked Spain for its “very, very speedy response” to Ukraine’s newest request for extra air defenses.
“We’d encourage the remainder of our allies to dig deep and supply further functionality as properly,” he mentioned.
There has not but been any formal public announcement from the Spanish authorities.
Western allies are struggling to work out the best way to provide extra superior techniques to Ukraine as diplomats admit they’ve valuable few to spare.
American Hawk surface-to-air techniques initially got here into service in the course of the Chilly Battle and are not in use by the US navy after being outmoded by extra trendy Patriot models.
Spain has refurbished a few of its Hawk techniques in recent times to increase their shelf life.
