Ukraine assembles 1–2 Patriot missiles at time, - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is negotiating with the U.S. regarding the transfer of licenses to manufacture missiles for the Patriot system, but this will take time. With winter approaching, Kyiv needs additional solutions to supply its air defense systems with interceptor missiles.
The head of state stated this during a conversation with the media, according to Censor.NET.
Details
According to Zelenskyy, he discussed a shipment of missiles for the Patriot system with Trump.
"That's a very complicated question. ... We went through all the issues, and after each one, the Ukrainian side kept bringing the American side back to this very issue. Trump confirmed once again that the licenses will be transferred. Ukraine will manufacture the Patriot.
"But when will Ukraine be technically capable of producing these? It will take some time. Extensive preparation is needed, because this is a major production effort, and winter is right around the corner—it’s very close. Closer than the possibility of producing Patriot systems under U.S. licenses," the president explained.
ГThe head of state added that "other solutions" are needed.
"We need them now; we're working on it," he added.
Zelenskyy also explained how Ukraine is seeking missiles for its Patriot systems.
"Two at a time, one at a time. We're taking these steps. Then, after the war, we'll talk about it. No one mentions thousands. They're gathering one or two missiles at a time. It's very complicated work. And these 2, 3, or 5 missiles are given exclusively from leader to leader," he added.
What led up to it
- European Union member states have received a request from Ukraine to use several billion euros from a loan totaling 90 billion euros to purchase PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.
- Earlier, the European Commission received a list from Ukraine of the military equipment on which it plans to spend the bulk of the remaining 6 billion euros from the defense portion of the loan—most of the items are equipment manufactured in Ukraine and the EU, primarily drones.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine had reached an agreement with the United States on monthly deliveries of interceptor missiles for the Patriot system. At the same time, he noted a shortage of these missiles: according to him, Ukraine needs to receive at least about 5% of U.S.-produced missiles of this type to get through the winter.
- Back in August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the country would need at least 300 Patriot interceptors to get through the winter, and proposed that the U.S. sell Ukraine 5–10% of its reserves: "America could replenish its stockpiles, and we could get through the winter."
- On July 31, U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting on the possibility of granting Ukraine permission to manufacture interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems, stated that the U.S. "must be very cautious" on this issue.
- The U.S. State Department stated that a decision on granting Ukraine licenses for Patriot missiles has not yet been made.
