Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that if American Patriot missiles were sent to Ukraine, they would be legitimate targets for the Russian military.

But he said the US plan has not been confirmed.

Peskov was asked by CNN whether he held the same views as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who said The missiles “will immediately become a legitimate target of our armed forces.”

CNN specifically reported The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, with an announcement likely later this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official.

The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it can be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. All three officials told CNN that approval is expected.

It is not yet clear how many missile launchers will be sent. But a typical Patriot battery includes a radar set that detects and tracks targets, computers, power-generating equipment, an engagement control station, and up to eight launchers, each with four ready-to-fire missiles. Huh.

Once plans are finalized, the Patriots are expected to ship quickly in the coming days and Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a US military base in Grafenwohr, Germany, officials told CNN.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that all Western systems sent to Ukraine – including Himars Anti-Air Defense Will be targeted.

Ukrainian officials have been asking for the Patriot batteries for months but have not confirmed that the US has agreed to send them. On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said only that a meeting of the army’s General Staff had talked about “security of the skies”.

CNN’s Barbara Starr contributed reporting to this post.