NATO Allies to Order Patriot Missiles for Ukraine

JAKARTA - A number of NATO allies announced plans to order Patriot air defense missiles for Ukraine directly from their manufacturers in the United States, amid a situation where Ukraine is facing a shortage of ammunition to fend off a large-scale attack from Russia.

In addition to supporting NATO's program to coordinate donations of advanced US military equipment, four countries - Canada, Denmark, Germany, and Norway - announced an initiative to order more missiles directly.

Norway said it would provide an additional $307 million (3 billion NOK) to strengthen Ukraine's air defense system.

"Given the long delivery time for some of these missiles, Norway also plans to hold Patriot missiles from countries that already have them to speed up the donation process to Ukraine," the country's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

"Ukraine has managed to intercept most of the drones and cruise missiles, but they need to strengthen their defenses against ballistic missiles. This is one of the most urgent priorities for Ukraine. Therefore, Norway is now allocating NOK 3 billion in funding for air defense," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement.

Støre met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara.