THAAD systems in South Korea (Photo: EPA/JUNG UI-CHEL)

The United States will not deploy the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system near Ukraine to intercept Russian missiles and drones, as it does for Israel. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh explained that the Russo-Ukrainian war and the conflict in the Middle East are different situations.

Singh emphasized that the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. government continue to support Israel and Ukraine in meeting their defense needs.

Asked why the United States deploys the THAAD system in Israel to protect against Iranian ballistic missiles but does not do the same in NATO countries to protect western Ukraine from Russian missile attacks, the U.S. Defense Department spokesperson noted that these are two different situations.

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"Different capabilities, different wars, different regions. The commitments also to Israel and Ukraine are different," Singh stated.

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REFERENCE
THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is an American missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at high altitudes during their terminal phase of flight. The system uses high-precision interceptor missiles without explosive warheads, destroying targets through kinetic energy upon impact.

On September 13, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that it is "humiliating for the strong democratic world" that a decision to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine has not yet been approved. According to him, only Belarus has "managed to do this".

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