The Romanian government has approved a bill to transfer the Patriot system to Ukraine. It was sent to the parliament for voting.
Reuters reports.
The Romanian government has approved a draft law on ground air defence that allows the transfer of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. The government has now sent the bill to parliament for a final vote.
"After the law is passed by the parliament, the government will be able to make a decision that will make the act of donation operational. The entire executive branch is authorised to restore the country's air defence capabilities at the expense of the budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defence," said Romanian government spokesman Mihai Constantin.
In June, Bucharest announced that it would transfer one of its two operational Patriot systems to Ukraine, provided that the allies replace it with a similar air defence system.
The Romanian Ministry of Defence says it will supply one of the seven 3+ systems purchased from the United States. This is the most advanced version of the Patriot defence system and is used by the United States and nearly 20 other NATO allies.
In 2017, Romania signed a $4 billion deal with the US to buy seven Patriot systems. The first batch was delivered in 2020. So far, Romania has received four systems, of which two are operational.