German Patriot air defence system units are seen at the Vilnius airport, ahead of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine has taken receipt of its third German-supplied Patriot air defence system, Berlin's ambassador to Kyiv said on Friday following months of Ukrainian pleas for equipment to protect its civilians and infrastructure from Russian air strikes.
Moscow renewed its aerial assaults on Ukraine's national power grid in the spring, causing sweeping blackouts. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier this year his country needed at least seven additional Patriot systems to protect itself.
"(The Patriot system) will help improve the protection of civilians and infrastructure. The Ukrainian crew has successfully completed appropriate training in Germany," German Ambassador Martin Jaeger said on X.
Kyiv has indicated it hopes for progress on the matter of air defence supplies at a NATO summit in Washington next week. A senior U.S. State Department official has said Kyiv is expected to get "good news" at the summit.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and regularly uses its arsenal of missiles and drones to conduct long-range strikes.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Gareth Jones)
