The U.S. Will Send a Patriot Air Defense System to Ukraine. How Will It Help?

The announcement was made on a day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington, D.C. — his first trip outside of Ukraine since the war began — to plead for additional air defense capabilities as Russian strikes have repeatedly disrupted power and water supply across his country.

"It becomes a real humanitarian issue when you're trying to deprive an entire country of its electrical grid and water and everything else," said Jeffrey Edmonds, a 22-year Army veteran who now works as a Russia analyst at the Center for a New American Security. "I think they see that as a necessary step to help Ukrainians sustain themselves in the fight.

Patriot arrays are used around the world by the U.S. Army and about a dozen U.S. allies. It was originally designed as an anti-aircraft system, and newer variants are used primarily to engage ballistic missiles. The U.S. will send a single Patriot battery to Ukraine, officials said.

Read the full story and more from NPR.