Slovakia Gives Ukraine its S-300 Air Defense System

U.S aids in facilitating the transfer of President Zelensky’s biggest wish.

 In a Facebook post on Friday morning, Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced that his country donated an anti-aircraft missile to Ukraine but clarified that that the NATO and European Union member was not joining the conflict with Russia. Stating:“I would like to confirm that #Slovakia has provided #Ukraine with an air-defense system S-300. #Ukrainian nation is #bravely defending its sovereign country and us too. It is our duty to help, not to stay put and be ignorant to the loss of human lives under #Russia’s aggression.”

Ukraine has asked the west consistently in the past weeks for new equipment to help with the fight against Russia.

The U.S also stepped up its deliveries to help Ukraine. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the U.S has already agreed to send anti- aircraft systems and tanks to Kiev as soon as possible. President Joe Biden said his government had agreed to “reposition a US Patriot missile system to Slovakia” in order to help facilitate the transfer to Ukraine. Biden said “As the Russian military repositions for the next phase of this war, I have directed my Administration to continue to spare no effort to identify and provide to the Ukrainian military the advanced weapons capabilities it needs to defend its country”

Zelensky has called for the U.S to support a no-fly zone above Ukraine stating, “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people”. He also mentioned that if a no-fly zone was not possible that the patriot missile system would be a viable option to aid Ukraine. A no-fly zone is extremely unlikely and opposed by NATO and the U.S because it would require them to shoot down Russian warplanes, basically an act of war and would lead to some complications with a large number of nuclear powers in the European region.

“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Friday. “This deployment of Patriot capabilities to Slovakia aligns perfectly with our previous efforts to bolster NATO’s defensive capabilities and to demonstrate our collective security requirements under Article 5 of the NATO treaty”

The S-300 is part of continued packages being sent by western allies to Ukraine. Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said that the war is now entering a new faze as Russia focuses on the Donbas region of Ukraine in the east. Kirby also states that the Pentagon is giving “literally millions of rounds” of small round ammunition to Ukraine, a valuable asset to the makeshift civilian army fighting valiantly against Russian forces.