Bratislava (Times Of Ocean)- Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad says the United States will deploy a Patriot air defense system in the coming weeks as Bratislava donated S300 air defence system to Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Slovakia donated its Soviet-era S300 air defense system to Ukraine. Nad previously said that his country was willing to provide its S300 to Ukraine if it had a proper replacement.
The Defense News says “Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to send troops armed with Patriot missiles to Slovakia as part of 2,100-strong force made up of soldiers from several NATO members states, including the U.S. The force will form a battlegroup on Slovak territory to boost NATO defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank.”
Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Greece all have S300 missiles capable of launching missiles hundreds of miles and destroying aircraft as well as cruise missiles.
Eduard Heger, the prime minister of Slovakia, visited Kyiv with top European Union officials ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
In a video address to U.S. lawmakers last month, Zelenskyy mentioned S300s by name to appeal for defense systems that would allow Ukraine to “close the skies” to Russian planes and missiles.