US gives Ukraine front-of-the-line privileges for air defense missiles
Only certain countries have been asked to defer their interceptor orders, so the move will not affect Taiwan.
The Biden administration is moving Ukraine ahead of other countries that were slated to receive air defense missiles, the latest move in its effort to rush urgently needed weapons to Kyiv.
The U.S. will “reprioritize” deliveries of Patriots and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems missiles planned for a select group of other countries so that the munitions coming off the production line will instead go to Ukraine, John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, announced Thursday.
Ukraine will start to see deliveries of the interceptors, made by Lockheed Martin and RTX, this summer, Kirby said.
The decision, which Kirby called “difficult but necessary,” sends a clear message to Russia: “If you think you’re going to be able to outlast Ukraine, and if you think you’re gonna be able to outlast those of us who are supporting Ukraine, you’re just flat-out wrong.”
But the move means deliveries of interceptors to other countries will be delayed until after Ukraine’s inventory is restocked, Kirby said. The goal is to give Kyiv enough air defense capabilities for the rest of the fiscal year and next fiscal year — the next 16 months in total, Kirby said.
Those countries will still receive their orders later, effectively doubling the contractors’ order books.
Only certain countries have been asked to defer their interceptor orders, Kirby said, stressing that the move will not affect Taiwan.
Lockheed Martin spokesperson Cristina Vite said the company is “working closely with our U.S. Army customer to support the U.S. government’s response to the conflict in Ukraine.” She referred other questions to the U.S. government. RTX referred questions to the White House.
The shift applies only to interceptors, not the expensive and complex systems that launch the missiles. But the U.S. and other Western countries are still working on ways to send additional launchers, including Patriot, to Ukraine. Romania announced Thursday that it will donate one of its Patriot batteries to Ukraine, on the condition that it will eventually get an alternative system for its own defense.
Getting to yes
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, first raised the idea of reprioritizing U.S. exports of air defense interceptors in April as Russia intensified its air campaign against Ukraine, according to a senior administration official. At the time, U.S. officials were also concerned that Ukraine was running out of weapons as they waited for Congress to pass additional funding for Kyiv.
On April 11, during his daily NSC meeting on Russia-Ukraine, Sullivan asked the team if it would be possible to defer deliveries for other countries and instead send them to Ukraine, according to the senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to speak about internal deliberations. The team discussed the idea and agreed it would be “feasible.”
The next day, Sullivan raised the idea at a meeting of the principals committee, Biden’s most senior national security aides, who agreed to look into the proposal.
Over the course of April and May, Jon Finer, Sullivan’s deputy, led an effort to review and finalize options to redirect interceptors to Ukraine. On May 7, the Pentagon produced an initial set of options, which they finalized over the next two weeks.
On May 28, Sullivan convened a principals committee meeting to review the Pentagon’s options. During the gathering, he urged the other officials to agree to the proposal “in order to ensure Ukraine’s survival,” according to the official. The other principals agreed, and began to put the plan into effect.
President Joe Biden gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the news on June 13 during a meeting in Italy, according to the official.
“The result of this decision is that Ukraine will have the interceptors they need to maintain their stockpiles of critical air defense systems at a key moment in this war,” the official said.
Lee Hudson contributed to this report.