“The decision was made to transfer to Ukraine a battery of the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system. The green light was given 2-3 days ago at the behest of Prime Minister Georgie Meloni,” the newspaper writes.
According to RID, the Italian Ministry of Defense had previously opposed the supply of SAMP/T batteries, justifying it by saying that the country has only five of these systems in service, and one of them, moreover, is deployed in Kuwait.
However, strong pressure from Washington – there is also talk of a phone call from Biden to Meloni – decisively changed the landscape, and Italy said yes, writes the newspaper.
RID adds that the scheme by which the battery is to be transferred to Kyiv is very complicated and its details are classified.
The fact that Italy will supply Ukraine with defensive weapons, including air defense systems, was announced in mid-December by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. Subsequently, this decision by Rome was confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
