Ukraine has appealed to the governments of Italy and France with a request to urgently provide additional Aster-30 missiles for SAMP/T anti-aircraft batteries, as the stock of available ammunition is almost exhausted.
This is stated in the material of the Italian publication Corriere della Sera.
According to the publication, for several weeks now the Ukrainian authorities have been asking Italy and France to send at least 50 Aster-30 missiles. However, the Italian government is in no hurry to make a decision, since their own stocks have almost run out to an untouched reserve. France has larger stocks, but it also faces restrictions.
On March 14, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome, and also held talks with the management of Eurosam, a joint venture of MBDA Italy, MBDA France and Thales, which is engaged in the production of Aster-30 missiles.
In turn, on March 8, the Wall Street Journal reported that the characteristics of the SAMP/T missiles do not match the level of the American Patriot batteries, in particular, the system is not always able to effectively identify enemy missiles in conditions of massive attacks.
"The debate among military experts continues, but the Ukrainians are now trying to restore their missile stocks as soon as possible. At this stage, when the russians have intensified bombing, every air defense system becomes valuable," the Wall Street Journal authors said.
The Italian government, headed by Giorgia Meloni, has already transferred two SAMP/T batteries to Ukraine, leaving three for its own needs. According to Corriere della Sera, the Italian defense plan, presented in November 2024, provides for the purchase of 10 more such complexes, each of which costs about EUR 500 million.
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