NATO secretary-general says some allies have air defense systems they could give to Ukraine

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is pressing the allies to give more Patriot missile batteries and other equipment to Ukraine. He says some member countries have air defense systems that could be made available. Stoltenberg was speaking after an online meeting of defense ministers on Friday. The meeting was attended remotely by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader renewed Kyiv’s almost daily appeals for more Western help. Russia’s air force is vastly more powerful than Ukraine’s. But sophisticated missile systems provided by Kyiv’s Western partners are a major threat to Russian aviation. Ukraine is seeking at least seven Patriot missile batteries. Stoltenberg said that “support to Ukraine is not charity. It is an investment in our own security.”