The United Kingdom intends to help Ukraine strengthen its air defense, although it does not possess the Patriot systems needed to intercept ballistic missiles.
London is ready to cooperate with countries that have stockpiles of PAC-3 missiles or are capable of manufacturing them. British Ambassador to Ukraine Neil Crompton spoke about this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, according to Glavkom.
The diplomat noted that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense remains one of the key areas of British assistance. “The United Kingdom is committed to providing support in the field of air defense. However, this is more difficult for us, as we do not have ‘Patriot’ systems,” Crompton explained.
He also noted that British air defense systems are primarily deployed on ships in the North Sea, so they cannot be easily redeployed.
Despite this, the United Kingdom is already providing Ukraine with air defense assistance, particularly in the form of short-range systems. The diplomat drew particular attention to protection against ballistic missiles, which requires PAC-3 missiles. However, according to Crompton, global production of these missiles has not yet reached the required level.
“Ballistic missiles remain a problem, and PAC-3 missiles are needed to defend against them. Global production does not yet meet the requirements,” the ambassador noted.
Crompton reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised these issues during talks in London.
