The United States is considering sending the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to bolster its air defense capabilities against threatening Russian attacks, a senior US defense official told reporters on Tuesday, CNN reported.

“All possibilities are on the table,” the official said when asked if the US was considering sending Patriot batteries specifically to Ukraine. “Patriot” is one of the air defense vehicles under consideration,” the official added.

The Patriot air defense system (Phased Array Target Interception Radar) is designed to counter and destroy short-range ballistic missiles, advanced aircraft, and approaching cruise missiles.

Ukraine’s air defense is a “top priority” for the US, the official added.

“We’re looking at all possible options that could help Ukrainians resist Russian attacks, so all options are on the table, and we’re looking at what the United States can do, we’re looking at what our allies and partners can do. to do and we are looking at combinations of opportunities that would be beneficial,” he said. The official added.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday warned NATO not to supply Ukraine with Patriot missile defense systems and called the alliance a “criminal organization,” Reuters reported.

“If, as (NATO Secretary General Jens) Stoltenberg has hinted, NATO supplies Ukrainian fanatics with Patriot systems along with NATO personnel, they will immediately become a legitimate target of our armed forces,” Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not clear from his message whether he was referring to Patriot systems, Ukrainian forces or the fact that NATO personnel would be targeted.

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