The administration of US President Joe Biden is discussing with European allies the possibility of sending air defense systems and other weapons to Ukraine. In particular, anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) S-300, writes The Washington Post.

Discussions began ahead of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's scheduled visit next week to meet with NATO allies in Brussels and Slovakia, according to the publication.. Slovakia, Poland and Romania have declared their readiness to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

Slovakia has an S-300 air defense system, which is used to protect against enemy aircraft.

“We believe that the most effective way to support the Ukrainian military in the confrontation with the Russian Federation is to provide more anti-tank weapons and air defense systems,” said US military commander Tod Walters..

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States intends to provide Ukraine with the funds that the Ukrainians need and which they use very well.. However, Kirby did not provide details on what types of weapons could be included in the new wave of shipments..

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Earlier, in negotiations between the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, the US representative said that the States did not support the idea of \u200b\u200btransferring Polish MiG-29s to Ukraine and would not take part in this operation..

NATO also discussed the possibility of the Alliance's participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war, including the provision of a no-fly zone. But in the end, the Alliance again refused to close the sky over Ukraine. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed: Washington will not introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

The main argument of opponents of such a move is its high risk of confrontation with Russia, which threatens to start a "