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US Prioritizes Sending Patriot Missiles to Ukraine Over Switzerland

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The US is prioritizing supplying Patriot missiles to Ukraine over fulfilling a missile contract with Switzerland, according to Swiss publication Blick.

Last fall, Switzerland ordered PAC-3 missiles worth $340 million, but those very missiles will now be diverted to Ukraine.

This decision comes as Russia intensifies its attacks, prompting Kyiv to request more air defense systems from its allies.

The US might invoke a clause in its contract with Switzerland, allowing it to prioritize national security interests and extraordinary circumstances.

An official announcement from the US is expected soon, with no updated delivery timeline has been communicated yet.

The same move was suggested by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously, in May 2024, when he proposed delaying Switzerland’s planned 2030 delivery of Patriot missiles and redirecting them to Germany. That would allow Germany to quickly replenish their own stocks sent to Ukraine, as Switzerland has a policy of not directly supplying weapons to Kyiv.

Earlier, on June 12, US officials confirmed that President Biden has given the green light for the deployment of an additional Patriot missile battery to Ukraine.

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