Several European member countries of the NATOincluding Germany and Spain, signed a contract to purchase up to 1,000 Patriot missiles to strengthen their defenses against Russia, the alliance reported this Wednesday in a statement.
The announcement of the contract, which has an estimated value of $5.5 billion, comes after in recent days Russia intensify the bombings against Ukraine.
The agency of the NATO responsible for procurement indicated that this agreement will allow increased production of missiles in Europe Patriotused to counter air or ballistic missile attacks.
The secretary general of the NATOJens Stoltenberg, welcomed the announcement, which he described as “timely.”
“Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns demonstrate how important modern air defenses are. Increasing our ammunition production is essential for Ukraine’s and our security,” he stated.
The United States and Germany have sent Patriot missiles to Ukraine to help Kiev repel Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure, which decreased its inventories and forced it to ask other allies such as Japan for help to replenish its stocks.
It is estimated that each Patriot missile costs about four million dollars.s, but the contract covers the supply of spare parts and maintenance costs.
