UPDATE 1-Romanian president says he’s open to discussing sending Patriot system to Ukraine

(Adds comment, details)

BUCHAREST, May 7 (Reuters) –

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday he was open to discussing sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine after German appeals to European Union and NATO member states to bolster Ukraine’s air defences.

Following appeals by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, EU governments were urged last month to supply more badly needed defence systems to Kyiv.

Germany has pledged an additional Patriot battery, while Spain said it will deliver anti-aircraft Patriot missiles.

Other European countries including Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden also have Patriot systems.

“There has been a discussion about who can send Patriot systems to Ukraine over the last few weeks,” Iohannis told reporters in Washington after meeting U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington.

“President Biden mentioned it … in our meeting and I said I was open to discussion. I must discuss it in the Supreme Defence Council to see what we can offer and what we can get in return, because it is unacceptable to leave Romania without air defences.”

Romania signed its $4 billion deal to get Patriots in 2017, the NATO and EU state’s biggest procurement contract to date, with the first shipment delivered in 2020.

While Romania only has one battery in operation, Iohannis said the discussion concerned one of the batteries which were in an advanced stage of becoming operational.

Romania, a NATO member since 2004, shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine and has had Russian drone fragments stray into its territory repeatedly as Moscow attacks Ukrainian ports just across the Danube River from Romania.

On Tuesday, Iohannis also said he had discussed with Biden his bid for NATO’s top job. Iohannis reiterated he was not withdrawing his candidacy despite strong support within the alliance – including from Biden – for outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

“Competition is a good thing, two strong candidates because in that way more topics will be up for discussion,” he said. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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