US will move Ukraine to front of line for air defense missile deliveries, White House says

The United States will prioritize deliveries of newly-made Patriot and NASAMS missile systems to Ukraine over any existing orders from other allies in an effort to shore up Kyiv’s air defense systems, Repor informs, citing Independent.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby on Thursday told reporters that Ukrainian forces are currently “in desperate need of additional air defense capabilities” as Russia continues to target Ukrainian infrastructure ahead of the fall and winter seasons.

“In recent months, Russia has accelerated its missile and its drone attacks against cities and civilian infrastructure and is trying to destroy Ukraine’s energy system ahead of this winter ... As a result, the United States government has made the difficult but necessary decision to reprioritize near-term planned deliveries ... of particularly Patriot and NASAMS missiles to go to Ukraine instead [of other allies],” he said.