Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba points out that the US probably has a Patriot system that could be delivered to Ukraine. He said this in an interview with The Guardian.
“I think the US army probably has one spare,” he said.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, the state has identified 7 Patriot air defense systems that can be used to protect civilians outside Kyiv in large cities.
At the same time, the publication notes that Spain, and Greece are currently considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with Patriot systems, and that Poland and Romania also have the systems. The Ukrainian diplomat suggested that Ukraine could receive the eighth system from the United States.
The European Union has disbursed a new tranche of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine worth €1.5 billion. The allocation of the next tranche was announced on April 24 by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. This is a macro-financial assistance of €1.5 billion out of a large support package worth €50 billion.
“Ukraine is carrying a heavy burden on its shoulders for all of us. Today, we disburse an additional €1.5 bn, under the €50 bn Ukraine Facility,” the statement said.
Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the allocation of aid is “This is vital to keep Ukraine's state & services running, while it fights back the aggressor.”
“Europe remains united and resolute,” emphasized the President of the European Commission.
On the night of April 24, Ukrainian drones attacked two oil depots in the Smolensk region of the Russian Federation. In total, the Russians reported alleged drone attacks on 5 regions. Among other things, Rosneft's bases for the storage and pumping of fuels and lubricants located in the settlements of Yartsevo and Rozdorovo in the Smolensk region were attacked.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) emphasized that 26,000 cubic meters of Russian fuel were stored at the damaged facilities. The powerful explosions were followed by a large-scale fire and evacuation of personnel.
"The SBU continues to effectively destroy the military infrastructure and logistics that provide fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine. These facilities are and will remain our absolutely legitimate targets," the source said.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian air defense has allegedly destroyed or intercepted eight UAVs, including three over the territory of the Kursk region; two over the Belgorod region; two over the Voronezh region and one over the territory of the Smolensk region.
Instead, the governor of the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, said that the UAV attack probably caused the fire of civilian fuel and energy facilities in the Smolensk and Yartsevsky districts.
According to the Russian Telegram channel SHOT, the first explosion in the Smolensk region occurred at 3:15 am near an oil base near the village of Razdorovo. Approximately 15 minutes later, a second explosion occurred, after which smoke appeared in the area of the industrial facility.
As of 5:00 p.m, a unit of the Air Command East destroyed the Kh-69 guided missile in the Dnipropetrovs'k region. It was these missiles that destroyed the Trypillia thermal power plant in the Kyiv region on April 11.
The Kh-69 is a Russian high-precision, low-observable air-to-surface cruise missile. It is designed to engage ground stationary targets with coordinates known before launch. The targets of the Kh-69 can be communications facilities, railway stations, ground ammunition depots and command posts, oil refineries and petrochemical plants, workshops, etc.
The Kh-69 is one of the newest Russian developments, and was only adopted in 2023. The Kh-69 is called stealthy because the missile is protected from electronic warfare systems. Defense Express called the Kh-69 more dangerous for Ukrainians than the hypersonic Kinzhal.