Russia: Sales of Patriot systems to Ukraine will result in "unpredictable consequences"

Russian officials are warning the Biden administration of “unpredictable consequences” if President Joe Biden goes through with a plan to provide Ukraine with a sophisticated air defense system Washington has previously declined to offer.

A statement from the Russian Embassy to the Washington Examiner on Thursday said that giving Ukraine a Patriot missile defense system would amount to “another provocative step by the administration” that “can lead to unpredictable consequences.”

The Patriot missile defense system, a Raytheon product, is designed to track and intercept incoming ballistic and cruise missiles. It would help the Ukrainians defend against aerial strikes Russian forces are launching using Iranian-made Shahed drones that are targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The system can require as many as 90 service members to operate and maintain it, and the training takes months.

“Even without delivery of the Patriot systems, the United States is increasingly drawn into the conflict in the post-Soviet republic,” the statement continued. “The weapons flow is growing, the training of servicemen is expanding. The Ukrainian army is being supplied with intelligence data.”