Zelenskyy: Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot systems from US
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot air defence systems from US manufacturers.
Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with The Guardian
Details: Zelenskyy said that Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot systems from US manufacturers. Meanwhile, European countries could provide Ukraine with their existing Patriot systems.
The president said he is working closely with international partners to protect Ukraine from nightly swarms of Russian drones. However, the UK and other allies have so far refused to send fighter jets to patrol the skies over Ukraine's centre and west, a request Kyiv has made for some time.
When asked whether the EU and the UK are doing enough ahead of a cold and dark winter, Zelenskyy replied: "It's never enough. It's enough when the war ends. And enough when [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin understands that he has to stop."
The article noted that the governments of France and the UK had promised to send troops as part of a possible peace settlement. When asked if he would like British soldiers to arrive sooner – for example, to take up a defence position on Ukraine's border with Belarus – Zelenskyy said: "Of course. We've been asking for many things including weapons and membership of the EU and NATO."
However, he emphasised that the question of European forces being present in Ukraine during active combat must be approached carefully.
"Leaders are afraid of their societies. They don't want to be involved in the war," he said.
Zelenskyy noted that the decision to deploy troops is "their choice" and if he pushes too hard, there is a risk that Kyiv could lose "financial and military support from our partners".
Background:
- On 20 October, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was drawing up a contract with a US manufacturer to acquire 25 Patriot systems.
- On 2 November, he announced that Ukraine had received additional Patriot air defence systems and thanked Germany for honouring its commitments.
- He later confirmed that Germany had delivered two Patriot systems to Ukraine.
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