Peskov said the Patriot would “definitely” be a target for Russia, but would not comment on unconfirmed media reports.
The Kremlin said today that Patriot missile defense systems would be a legitimate target for Russian strikes against Ukraine if the United States approves their delivery in support of Kiev.
Washington is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile system to Ukraine, a decision that could be announced as early as this week, three US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Patriot would “definitely” be a target for Russia, but would not comment on unconfirmed media reports.
Patriots are considered among the most advanced US air defense systems, including aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. They usually include launchers along with radar and other support vehicles.
The Pentagon says Russia’s recent surge in missile strikes on Ukraine is designed in part to deplete Kiev’s air defense supplies so it can dominate the skies above the country. For this reason, the United States and its allies are delivering more air defense assistance to Kyiv.
For the United States, this includes NASAMS anti-aircraft systems that the Pentagon says have successfully intercepted Russian missiles in Ukraine. Washington has so far provided Ukraine with $19.3 billion in military aid since the war began.
The Kremlin spokesman also said today that he has not received any proposals for a “Christmas truce” in Ukraine, as the fighting does not appear to end with the arrival of winter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week asked Russia to begin withdrawing its troops from his country by Christmas as a first step toward a peace deal after nearly 10 months of war.
Asked today whether Moscow had seen proposals for a “Christmas truce”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No, no such proposal has been received from anyone. This issue is not on the agenda.”
After a series of Ukrainian blitzkriegs in which Kyiv regained control of about 50 percent of the territory Moscow had seized in the first weeks of the war, neither side recorded significant territorial gains last month.
Peskov said on Tuesday that there would be no peace with Kyiv until Zelensky accepted the realities on the ground – namely, Russian control of four Ukrainian regions he annexed in September after “referendums” that denounced as illegal and coercive the Kyiv, the West and the majority of United Nations member states.
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