Japan agrees to hand US Patriot missiles for Ukraine - WSJ
Japan will transfer missiles to the United States for launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, the ultimate goal is to replenish Ukraine's reserves.
The Wall Street Journal reported this on Friday, December 22, citing anonymous sources in the governments of the two states.
Japan violates its own restrictions on the export of weapons established after World War II. According to the publication, the country will provide the United States with dozens of Patriot air defense missiles designated to protect Ukraine from air attacks by the aggressor state of russia.
Tokyo intends to transfer dozens of interceptor missiles that are used to destroy ballistic missiles and other air threats starting from the first quarter of 2024, according to the WSJ. The volume of Japanese supplies will depend on how many missiles the U.S., in turn, will provide to Ukraine, the WSJ reports.
A Japanese defense official said details on time and quantity have not yet been determined, and also confirmed that the deliveries would not affect the state's defense capabilities against threats from North Korea or other countries. Japan is still prohibited from supplying weapons to countries involved in military conflicts, that is, it cannot send Patriot missiles directly to Ukraine, the newspaper explains. According to the WSJ, security analysts said Japan wishes to find new ways to play a greater role in international security.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on December 18, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council stated that the statements of the aggressor state of russia about the destruction of five Patriot air defense launchers during missile attacks on Ukraine on December 14 are false and hostile propaganda.
On November 24, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger announced that another Patriot air defense system will be deployed in Ukraine to protect the energy network.
On August 9, the German government announced the transfer to Ukraine of two more launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and missiles for them.