The Netherlands plans to join the United States and Germany in sending a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands said during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday.
“We are interested in joining the work you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project, the air defense system. I think it is important that we join that,” Rutte said, adding that he had already spoken with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz and Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the issue.
“We can never accept Putin and Russia getting away with it, so it is our duty to take them to court to make sure this is all done,” Rutte said.
A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Defense declined to comment on Rutte’s statement.
The White House said in a readout of the meeting that Biden and Rutte “reaffirmed the historical ties and shared values that unite the United States and the Netherlands” when they met on Tuesday.
The two leaders “recalled our steadfast political, security, economic, and humanitarian support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression, including our efforts to hold Russia accountable for its abuses of power and war crimes committed by Russian forces, ” according to the reading. They also discussed “enhancing cooperation on other foreign policy priorities, including our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
For more information on missile systems: The Patriot radar system integrates “surveillance, tracking and engagement functions in one unit,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) description, which makes it stand out from other air defense systems. The system’s engagement with incoming aerial threats is “almost autonomous,” aside from requiring the operator’s “final launch decision.” The Patriot — an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercepting Targets — system is considered one of the most capable long-range air defense systems on the market.
CNN’s Haley Britzky contributed reporting for this article.