WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday he has been encouraging countries with Patriot missile systems to donate them to Ukraine, which has appealed for more of the air defense batteries.
“There are countries that have Patriots, and so what we’re doing is continuing to engage those countries,” Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
“I have talked to the leaders of several countries... myself here in the last two weeks, encouraging them to give up more capability or provide more capability,” he said, without identifying the countries by name.
Various European Union countries possess the systems, including Spain, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NATO members earlier this month that his country needed a minimum of seven additional Patriot or other high-end air defense systems to counter Russian air strikes, urging them to step up their military assistance for Kyiv.
![]()
Pentagon chief pushes for donation of more Patriot systems to Kyiv
Short Url
https://arab.news/6uk5f
Pentagon chief pushes for donation of more Patriot systems to Kyiv
- “There are countries that have Patriots, and so what we’re doing is continuing to engage those countries,” Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing
Over 150 Ukrainian drones repelled overnight: Russian state media
- On Tuesday, the two sides are set to begin another round of diplomatic negotiations backed by the United States
MOSCOW: Russia repelled more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, Moscow’s defense ministry told state media on Tuesday, as Kyiv steps up its counterattacks ahead of talks in Geneva.
“Overnight, air defense forces destroyed 151 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, as well as over the Black and Azov Seas,” the ministry reported.
In Russian-annexed Crimea, Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said two dozen drones were shot down during “one of the longest attacks in recent times.”
“Unfortunately, there were injuries. According to preliminary information, one child was wounded,” he posted on Telegram.
On Tuesday, the two sides are set to begin another round of diplomatic negotiations backed by the United States, after two previous rounds of talks mediated by the White House yielded no breakthroughs.
While Russia occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine, Kyiv has recently made battlefield advances, recapturing 201 square kilometers (78 square miles) between Wednesday and Sunday last week, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War shows.
“Overnight, air defense forces destroyed 151 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, as well as over the Black and Azov Seas,” the ministry reported.
In Russian-annexed Crimea, Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said two dozen drones were shot down during “one of the longest attacks in recent times.”
“Unfortunately, there were injuries. According to preliminary information, one child was wounded,” he posted on Telegram.
On Tuesday, the two sides are set to begin another round of diplomatic negotiations backed by the United States, after two previous rounds of talks mediated by the White House yielded no breakthroughs.
While Russia occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine, Kyiv has recently made battlefield advances, recapturing 201 square kilometers (78 square miles) between Wednesday and Sunday last week, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War shows.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.