Romanian Parliament approves donation of Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine
In a significant move, Romania's lower house of parliament on Tuesday, September 3, approved a bill to donate a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine. The document awaits the signature of President Klaus Iohannis, after which the government will issue an order for the donation, according to the announcement.
The Romanian government's decision to transfer a Patriot system to Ukraine had already received the cabinet's approval and was forwarded to the parliament for final consent. In June, Bucharest had declared its readiness to provide one of its two operating Patriot systems to Ukraine on the condition that its allies would replace it with a comparable air defense system at a later date.
This latest support follows NATO's promise of five strategic air defense assets to Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russian military aggression. This agreement was cemented during the NATO summit in Washington in July. Notably, Germany has already supplied Ukraine with three Patriot missile systems, with the most recent delivery occurring on July 21.
In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed a security cooperation agreement, which includes the provision of the Patriot system from Romania to Ukraine.
Back in 2017, Romania signed a $4 billion contract to procure Patriot systems, marking the largest acquisition deal in its history. To date, the country has received four systems, two of which are already operational.
As a NATO member since 2004, Romania shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine. The conflict has seen fragments of Russian drones landing on Romanian territory during attacks on Ukrainian ports located across the border river, the Danube.