Ukraine believes that the US will be ready to sell new Patriots – WP
Ukrainian officials believe that the administration of US President Donald Trump will be ready to sell Kyiv more Patriot air defense systems, rather than providing them as aid, The Washington Post reported, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.
The interlocutor said that he does not expect Washington to block the sale of these systems to Ukraine, but understands that the White House "will not give them away for free."
"They [the current American administration] think like business people. If I give you something, you have to give me something in return. We have to adapt to this," he said.
Meanwhile, an anonymous European diplomat working in Kyiv told WP that Raytheon (the American corporation that manufactures Patriot) is still expanding its production to meet demand after 2022.
"The U.S. needs to keep a certain amount [of these systems] for its own defense, in case of an attack from Iran or another adversary," the source said.
In total, six Ukrainian and Western officials told the publication that Ukraine is increasingly concerned about receiving more Patriot systems as supplies sent during the Joe Biden administration are running out, and the new administration is resisting the transfer of more systems.
Spokespeople for the Pentagon and the US National Security Council did not respond to media requests for comment on the situation with military aid to Ukraine.
Patriot systems are one of the few Western air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. According to a report by the Ukrainian Air Force, during a massive Russian attack on May 25, the Ukrainian military failed to shoot down any of the occupiers' nine ballistic missiles, although they were able to intercept 45 cruise missiles.
- On April 14, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was ready to buy 10 Patriot systems from the United States for $15 billion. In response, Trump did not directly answer whether the United States was ready to sell this weaponry.
- On May 20, during a Senate hearing, Rubio stated that the United States does not have additional Patriot systems for Ukraine, but Washington is working with its NATO allies to provide Kyiv with their complexes.
