France and Italy have finalized the decision to send the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine.

The latest details were agreed by the defense ministers of both countries during a telephone conversation.

The conversation took place on Friday, February 3.

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto have finished technical talks that lasted several weeks. They negotiated deliveries of the SAMP/T air defense system. It is stated that the transfer of the air defense system will take place in the spring of 2023.

It is the first long-range European missile system developed by France and Italy.

It will allow Ukraine to defend against drones, missiles and Russian aviation attacks, covering a significant part of Ukrainian territory.

The delivery of the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system is a response to the urgent needs of Ukraine in strengthening air and missile defense to protect civilians and infrastructure from Russian air attacks.

The French Ministry of Defense notes that the Thales GM200 radar acquired by Ukraine on Wednesday February 1, which is financed by France as part of a support fund of 200 million euros, will strengthen the effectiveness of the SAMP/T SAM to be jointly supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Paris and Rome.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked his colleagues from France and Italy for their help.

“This will help us save thousands of lives from attacks by Russian terrorists,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

It should be recalled that Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani earlier said that the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system could be deployed in Ukraine within the following two months.

The SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system was developed by the European consortium Eurosam (MBDA Italy, MBDA France, Thales). This system is able to destroy aerodynamic targets at a distance of up to 150 km and at an altitude of up to 25 km. The system can also intercept ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 25 km and the same altitude. It is built on the basis of the French Aster-30 solid-fuel anti-aircraft missile.