The announcement comes as Russia has begun to ramp up its air assault on Ukraine, with more than 40 civilians killed since the weekend.
ADVERTISEMENTNATO has announced it will help to buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so that allies can better protect their territory as Russia escalates its air strikes on Ukrainian targets.
NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency said it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the Patriots, which are used to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles as well as enemy aircraft.
According to industry sources, the contract could be worth around $5.5 billion (€5.04bn).
The purchase could help allies free up more of their own defence systems for Ukraine. The agency said that “other user nations are expected to benefit from the conditions of the contract,” without elaborating further.
“Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns show how important modern air defences are,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. “Scaling up ammunition production is key for Ukraine’s security and for ours.”
As an organisation, NATO provides only non-lethal support to Ukraine, but its members are able to send weapons and ammunition individually or in groups.
Ukraine’s two largest cities came under attack early on Tuesday from Russian missiles which killed five people and injured as many as 130. More than 40 civilians have been killed since the weekend.
The latest round of attacks beginning on Friday marked Russia's largest single assault on Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022. What was originally predicted to be a swift and overwhelming invasion has now turned into a grinding winter war of attrition along a 1,000-kilometre front line.