According to Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad, the US will deploy a Patriot air defense system in his nation next week.

The declaration came only days after Slovakia, at Ukraine’s request, handed its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system. Nad earlier stated that his nation is prepared to deliver its S-300 to Ukraine on the condition that it has a suitable alternative.

Furthermore, Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to send troops armed with Patriot missiles to Slovakia as part of a 2,100-strong force comprised of soldiers from several NATO member nations, including the United States. The troops will create a battlegroup on Slovak soil to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank defenses.

NATO countries Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Greece all have S-300s, which are capable of firing missiles hundreds of kilometers and destroying cruise missiles as well as planes.

Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger recently met with top European Union officials in Kyiv, Ukraine, ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

When he addressed to US senators via video last month, Zelenskyy specifically referenced S-300s, pleading for defense systems that would allow Ukraine to “shut the skies” to Russian planes and missiles.