Italy to deliver promised SAMP/T air defense system by end of September
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Italy will deliver a second SAMP/T air defense battery to Ukraine by the end of September, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on Sept. 17.
Italy promised in June to send Kyiv another SAMP/T system, the only European-made air defense system that can intercept ballistic missiles.
"By the end of the month the new Samp/T system will be delivered to Ukraine, and we know how much every minute of delay costs," Crosetto said at a conference on European air defense production, according to the Italian media outlet RAI.
The announcement comes over a week after President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Italy on Sept. 6. Zelensky said during the visit that Ukraine is grateful for the air defenses supplied by Western allies, but that they are still "not enough to secure our entire territory and repel every Russian attack."
Ukraine has lobbied international partners for more air defense capabilities in the wake of intensifying Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure.
Previously, France and Italy jointly supplied Ukraine with a SAMP/T system back in 2023.
Ukraine's need for advanced air defense systems has become more urgent in light of Iran's recent transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.
Italian media has also reported that Italy's next military aid package will include a batch of long-range Storm Shadow missiles along with the SAMP/T system, but officials have not confirmed these reports.
