Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine is ready to purchase American-made Patriot air defense systems to protect its cities from Russian attacks. He emphasized that these systems are available, and that their delivery depends on a political decision by the United States.
Zelensky made this statement following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa.
The Ukrainian president argues that Ukraine’s allies possess enough Patriot batteries to meet the country’s defense needs, and that the decision to provide them is purely political. He noted that both the systems and the missiles required to operate them are available.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he is not inclined to approve the sale of Patriots to Ukraine, criticizing Zelensky for “constantly asking for missiles.” Nevertheless, in a phone conversation, Trump promised to help locate available Patriot launchers, particularly in Europe.
Germany, which possesses Patriot systems, has stated it cannot transfer them to Ukraine as it is still awaiting deliveries from the manufacturer. Instead, Germany will provide Ukraine with four additional IRIS-T air defense systems and more than 300 missiles for them.
Ukraine urgently needs additional Patriot batteries to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks, such as the recent strike in Sumy, which killed 35 people. The Patriot systems are the only ones in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of intercepting such missiles, but their current number is insufficient to cover the entire territory.