US will not give Patriot to Ukraine for free, but may sell it - WP
Ukraine is in dire need of new Patriot air defense systems, but the Donald Trump administration is in no hurry to provide new supplies.
This is reported by The Washington Post, Censor.NET informs with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
According to the publication, despite the fact that Russia is bombing Ukraine with drones and cruise missiles, ballistic missiles pose the greatest danger. Currently, they can only be countered with Patriot missiles.
The media noted that the shortage of Patriot missiles became apparent during the Memorial Day weekend in the United States on May 25 and 26. Ukraine was unable to intercept any of the nine ballistic missiles fired by Russia. Two of them were aimed at Kyiv.
The Washington Post writes that according to Ukrainian officials, the Trump administration may sell additional Patriot systems, but not provide them as part of the aid.
"They think like businessmen. If I give you something, you have to give something in return. We will have to adapt to this," said one of the senior representatives.
Nevertheless, even with the possibility of buying, there is still a problem - limited production. Western diplomats report that Raytheon is still expanding production capacity to meet growing demand after 2022. At the same time, the United States is seeking to preserve some of its stockpile in case of a conflict with Iran or another enemy.
Also, the search for another Patriot system for Ukraine continues in Europe, but there has been no breakthrough. After all, each country realizes that the transfer of such a system is not only a political decision, but also a risk to its own defense capabilities.
"They should compare the benefits of supporting Ukraine and weakening their own forces. We are working closely with the Americans. We are very grateful to them for this system, but it is still very little, really very little," the official said.
Air defense will be a key issue during the upcoming visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagel to NATO headquarters in early June. New commitments for Patriot systems for Ukraine may be announced then, but probably not from the United States directly.
Ukrainian officials believe that the Trump administration will try to avoid making any loud statements about the transfer of Patriot systems, as it fears angering Putin and disrupting possible peace talks.
Earlier, the Air Force said that Russia had modernized its ballistic missiles. This has complicated the work of Patriot air defense systems.
