White House does not yet confirm Patriot missile system hit in Ukraine

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, has said he could not confirm reports of alleged damage to a Patriot air defence missile launcher in Ukraine.

Source: Kirby at a briefing for journalists on Tuesday, reported by European Pravda

Details: "I can't confirm the reports of the Patriot system being damaged in Ukraine," Kirby was quoted by Ostap Yarysh, a Voice of America journalist.

Kirby has added that if the US air defence system was indeed damaged and needed to be repaired outside of Ukraine, "we would certainly help with that".

‼️ US NatSec John Kirby: I cannot confirm the reports about the Patriot system being damaged in Ukraine. ... I just can't speak to this. But if there was damage done that needed to be repaired outside Ukraine, we would certainly assist with that.

— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) May 16, 2023

Background: Earlier on Tuesday, the US TV channel CNN reported, citing an anonymous official, that the Russian missile strike on Ukraine on the night of 15-16 May did not destroy the Patriot missile defence system, as the Russian Ministry of Defence had claimed.

At the same time, Russia's strike could have damaged the Patriot system, but the extent of the damage is currently being assessed. This will help determine whether the system can be repaired on-site, otherwise, it will have to be transported back to the United States.

Russia has already attacked the US air defence system with hypersonic missiles, in particular on 4 May, but unsuccessfully. Instead, the Ukrainian military, as confirmed by the Pentagon, intercepted the missile using the Patriot system.

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