Dutch premier pledges to send Patriot defence system to Ukraine

The Netherlands has “the intention” to follow the US and Germany in sending the missile defence system, Rutte said in joint remarks with US President Joe Biden in Washington. “I think that it’s important we join that and I discussed it also this morning with Olaf Scholz of Germany,” he said.

The US and Germany each pledged in recent weeks to send the Patriots, which are highly prized because they can shoot down missiles and have hi-tech sensors that help in identifying what’s in the air. The Kremlin in response said it would target the Patriot air defence system that the US has pledged.

Ukraine’s partners are under pressure to deliver more air defence systems after a Russian missile hit an apartment block in the eastern city of Dnipro on Saturday, killing at least 45 people, including six children. Russia has been targeting critical infrastructure since mid-September, leaving millions of citizens without electricity, water and heating amid freezing temperatures.

Ukraine was unable to shoot down the Russian missile which hit the Dnipro apartment block because it does not have the necessary equipment, according to Ukrainian air defence forces. Patriots would have been able to, they said.

It could still take several months before the Patriots are actually deployed in Ukraine, especially in light of the need to train Ukrainian forces to operate them. The US will start training in the missile system for Ukrainian soldiers at Fort Sill, Oklahoma this week.

Top defence officials from the US, UK, Germany and other allies will meet in Ramstein, Germany on Friday to discuss weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Germany is expected to announce a decision before the meeting on whether to send Ukraine advanced battle tanks.

The Dutch military started operating the Patriot system, which stands for “phased array tracking radar to intercept on target,” in 1987. The surface-to-air guided missile systems can neutralise fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and ballistic and cruise missiles up to an altitude of 20km and a range of 60km.

Dutch air defence personnel work closely with their German counterparts in operating the Patriot systems. In Europe, only Germany, Spain and the Netherlands operate the Patriots.

The Dutch Patriots were previously deployed during the Gulf Wars and in southern Turkey to protect the country against ballistic missiles from Syria. Last year, the Netherlands and Germany jointly deployed Patriots to Slovakia at the request of Nato to protect the eastern flank of the military alliance against incoming missiles.