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Slovakia says it would give Ukraine its air defense systems if it gets ‘proper replacement’
Slovakia’s defense minister on Thursday said the country would “immediately” provide its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine if it’s guaranteed a “proper replacement” in the near term. Jarosla…
thehill.com
3.17.22
Slovakia’s defense minister on Thursday said the country would “immediately” provide its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine if it’s guaranteed a “proper replacement” in the near term. Jaroslav Nad’ said Slovakia is in discussions with the United States and other allies on the possibility of deploying its S-300s to Ukraine to help the embattled country in its fight against invading Russian forces. But the agreement hinges on Bratislava receiving a stand-in system for its air defenses. "We’re willing to do so immediately when we have a proper replacement,” Nad’ said a press conference alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “The only strategic air defense system that we have in Slovakia is [the] S-300 system. So what would happen immediately when we decide to give it to Ukrainians is that we actually create a gap, a security gap in NATO.” He added: “Should there be [a] situation that we have a proper replacement or that we have a capability guaranteed for a certain period of time, then we will be willing to discuss the future of S-300.”
The S-300 surface-to-air missile system is a Soviet-era defense system possessed by NATO allies Slovakia, Greece and Bulgaria that could help against Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, of which there have been more than 1,000 since the attack began on Feb. 24. Asked whether the U.S. would be willing to provide Slovakia with an air defense replacement such as the U.S.-made Patriot, Austin said he did not have any announcements to make. “These are things that we will continue to work with all of our allies on,” Austin said. The Biden administration is working to get more air defense systems to Ukraine following pressure from Congress and new pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help Kyiv obtain air defenses and fighter jets to curtail bombings from Kremlin forces.
And what could be the excuse for not green-lighting this offer? Putin might be angered?