French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that the SAMP/T surface-to-air defence system pledged to Ukraine in February is now “deployed and operational".
The system is “protecting key installations and lives”, Macron said at a speech in Paris on Monday during at a conference of EU defence ministers, military officials from the United States and NATO, as well as industry executives.
"It really is Europe protecting Europe," he added, making reference to his opposition to a German proposal to develop an anti-missile defence system for Ukraine by purchasing equipment from the US and Israel.
Ukraine received two American-made Patriot air defence systems at the end of April.
For the French presidency, announcing the deployment of the SAMP/T Mamba shows that there is an alternative.
Ukrainian troops completed training in March on the SAMP/T Mamba medium-range surface-to-air system, which includes radar and eight Aster missile launchers, with a range of about 100 kilometres.
The system is intended to help Ukraine counter Russian drone and plane attacks.
Earlier in May, Ukraine Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said that air defense systems like the SAMP/T or Patriot were needed to protect against large-scale ballistic missile attacks.
A Mamba system is already deployed in Romania to protect the strategic Black Sea port of Constanta.
(with wires)
