Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a visit to Washington, discussed the possibility of signing a contract to supply Ukraine with 25 Patriot systems, which Kyiv will receive over several years.
Points of attention
- Ukraine is set to purchase 25 Patriot systems over several years, with plans to finance the deal using frozen Russian assets and other strategic sources.
- The agreement entails annual deliveries to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, addressing the country's defense needs with support from international allies.
- President Zelenskyy reveals that key European NATO members possess Patriot systems that could be shared with Ukraine, pending political will and support from the White House.
Ukraine is ready to purchase 25 Patriot systems — Zelenskyy
According to Zelenskyy, 25 systems are a request from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but Ukraine will not be able to receive such a number of systems at once. We are talking about annual supplies. However, the difficulty is that the Patriot manufacturer has a queue to produce systems for other countries.
We will receive these 25 systems every year, different numbers in different years. The White House can change the queue if there is political will. We understand which European countries can give us this priority queue. There is more positive in this issue — we are now working to get the necessary solutions.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
As the President says, key European NATO member states have Patriot systems that belong to the United States. And Ukraine can also receive these complexes if there is "goodwill" and assistance from the White House.
It is planned that the funds needed to purchase 25 Patriot systems will come from the use of frozen Russian assets, and the financial basis for this deal has already been worked out.
Of course, we also need to work on another source of funding. We have 28 bilateral security agreements with countries today. Finding the finances and making the advance payment is a task, and within the framework of these agreements it is realistic.
On September 29, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany would transfer two more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine by the end of 2025. This will happen with the support of Norwegian partners.
On October 10, Zelensky announced that Ukraine is preparing an agreement to purchase weapons from the United States. Among the priorities are air defense systems, the HIMARS artillery system, along with modifications for ATACMS tactical missiles.
