Ukraine Still Months Away From Using Patriot Systems, Retired General Warns

The United States is set to deliver Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, but these weapons are unlikely to be used on the battlefield in the near future, according to retired U.S. General Mark Hertling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested for months that U.S. officials provide Ukraine with stronger weapons to shoot down Russian missiles. Facing a stagnant invasion, Moscow has turned to attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure to apply pressure to Zelensky.

The Biden administration will likely approve the delivery of Patriot missile systems this week, though the decision is not final, according to the Associated Press.

This would be the most advanced missile system the U.S. has thus far provided to Ukraine—though Ukraine has received other military aid, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, also known as HIMARS, credited with boosting the country's defense efforts.

Hertling said on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops will need to be trained to use these weapons before they can use them against Russia.

"Unless there's been secret training going on for months, 'approval' doesn't mean those systems will be on the battlefield immediately. Patriots require months of operator & maintenance training," Hertling tweeted.

More details about the delivery, including how many missile launchers will be provided, remained unknown Tuesday afternoon as defense officials worked to finalize the package.

The equipment is expected to be shipped to Ukraine within days, and troops will be trained to use the weapons at a U.S. base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, CNN reported.

The Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system that can engage ballistic and cruise missiles as well as loitering munitions and aircraft. Sean Spoonts, a U.S. Navy veteran and editor-in-chief of Special Operations Forces Report, previously told Newsweek that the Patriot is the "gold standard in terms of anti-missile systems."

Earlier in December, Poland announced that it would place German Patriot missiles on its border with Ukraine after a missile struck a nearby village, killing two people, according to a Reuters report.

U.S. officials previously resisted providing Ukraine with stronger missiles due to concerns that doing so would lead to an escalation with Russia, which has previously spoken out against the possibility of the West providing Ukraine with longer-range weapons.

Instead, the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with a steady stream of HIMARS. Ukraine has used these missile systems to knock out key Russian targets.

The U.S. has also provided Ukraine with National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), which the Pentagon says have had a 100 percent success rate in stopping Russian missiles.

But as Russian missile attacks ramp up, Zelensky has requested longer-range missiles. On Monday, he told leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers that his military would need long-range missiles and other high-tech defense systems to combat Russian strikes, the AP reported.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment.