Ukraine’s request for the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) anti-missile system manufactured by Lockheed Martin is unlikely to be satisfied, a military expert of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, Ivan Stupak, told the Focus.ua news and analysis website.
“Still, three billion dollars is not a small amount of money, three times the price of a Patriot installation. I think it is easier for the Americans to stop the war than to give us THAAD,” Ivan Stupak noted.
He pointed out that Russian troops will be able to destroy or damage the THAAD missile defence system, as has already happened with Patriot SAMs. In addition, the AFU will have to undergo a training course for at least several months to use the new equipment, the expert explained.
An unnamed representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told Focus.ua that Kiev might apply for THAAD after a Russian strike by a new Oreshnik ballistic missile on Yuzhmash in Dnepropetrovsk. The publication emphasised that the appeal for this system has already taken place in December last year, while the US did not provide Kiev with the requested equipment.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the direct involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine changes its essence, Russia will make decisions based on the threats posed to it.
