I asked Trump to provide Ukraine with emergency "winter package" of Patriot air defence interceptors, – Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked U.S. President Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with an emergency "winter package" of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles to help prevent Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy made this statement in comments to Axios, according to Censor.NET.
Depletion of air defense supplies and the threat of a humanitarian crisis this winter
According to him, Ukraine's stockpile of interceptor missiles is nearly depleted, and without them, the country cannot defend itself against ballistic missiles. That is precisely why Ukraine was unable to stop the recent Russian attacks on Kyiv.
As noted, if this problem is not resolved before winter, Russian missile attacks could destroy Ukrainian power plants, leaving millions of Ukrainians without heat and creating a humanitarian crisis.
Ukraine's Need for 300 Patriot Interceptors
The article also notes that the war with Iran has reduced U.S. stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles, making it more difficult to sell them to Ukraine.
According to the publication, Ukraine needs 300 interceptor missiles for its Patriot air defense system by winter.
What led up to this?
- On July 28, Zelenskyy arrived in the U.S.. Among the main topics of discussion were air defense and strategic cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.
- Also on that day, the President of Ukraine was scheduled to meet with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, attend the national farewell ceremony for Senator Lindsey Graham, and meet with the senators who co-sponsored the bill on secondary sanctions against Russia, as well as other members of Congress.
- Zelenskyy has already reported on the results of his talks with Trump, during which they discussed air defense and the production of Patriot missiles.
