Despite the announcement by a ministry official earlier today that all options are on the table to support Kiev, including providing it with the "Patriot" system, the Pentagon confirmed that it does not currently plan to provide Ukraine with the "Patriot" air defense system

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said at a press briefing that "air defense remains a top priority for the Ministry of Defense and the international community in terms of supporting Ukraine, but at the moment we have no plans to supply Ukraine with Patriot batteries, although we will continue discussions on this issue.

"Advanced systems such as the Patriot require a lot of maintenance and training efforts, which is an issue that enters into the calculations regarding the forms of support provided to Ukraine, "Ryder explained.

A Pentagon official confirmed today that"air defense is on the list of our top priorities, and we are looking for every possible opportunity to help Ukraine".

"The Patriot system is one of the anti-aircraft systems on the table for discussion,"he added.

For his part, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Tuesday that if NATO supplies Ukraine with "Patriot" systems, along with the crew operating them, they will immediately become a legitimate target of the Russian Armed Forces.

Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced earlier on Tuesday that Poland would not hand over its own "Patriot" anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.