(MENAFN) According to reports from the Spanish daily El Pais, Madrid is under pressure from the European Union (EU) and NATO to provide missiles for the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Citing government sources, the newspaper reveals that the demand comes in response to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's request for six United States-made launchers from NATO, including a Spanish system currently stationed at the Turkish-Syrian border. Despite Madrid's initial refusal to transfer the entire system, it has agreed to send "a small number" of missiles to Kiev instead.
Spain, which operates three Patriot batteries acquired from Germany between 2004 and 2014, has one battery deployed near the Turkish city of Adana since 2013, with the other two located in Valencia. El Pais notes that one of these batteries is currently being used to train Ukrainian soldiers in operating the system.
While the exact number of missiles to be sent remains undisclosed, El Pais reports that Spain maintains a "war reserve" of approximately fifty Patriot missiles, each costing around a million euros. Additionally, Spain plans to refurbish ten Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and send them to Ukraine, building upon the ten delivered last year.
The Spanish Defense Ministry has expressed interest in acquiring four of the latest Patriot models, the PAC-3. Although the United States approved the potential sale last October, valued at EUR2.6 billion (USD2.78 billion), the Madrid government has yet to finalize the contract. Even under optimal conditions, the new batteries would not be available until 2028 at the earliest, further complicating Spain's response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
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