Ukraine’s government has urgently sought the system, produced by Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin, saying Patriots are needed to counter a relentless barrage of Russian missiles that have targeted its military as well as civilian and energy infrastructure.

The move to send the Patriot system may come within days, one of the officials said, but still requires a final sign-off by Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The decision was reported earlier by CNN.

Asked for comment on Tuesday, a State Department spokesperson said Biden has been clear that the US will prioritise sending air defence systems to Ukraine to help it defend against Russian aggression.

The Patriot air defence system could provide greatly expanded, networked coverage against Russian aircraft and missiles. It’s the most exported US missile defence system. The most advanced version fielded with the US Army has a “hit to kill” capability to ensure greater accuracy over earlier models that explode near a missile or aircraft.