Zelenskyy expects reduction in deliveries of Patriot missiles

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the prolonged US-Israeli war against Iran could further weaken support for Ukraine, and Kyiv is preparing for a reduction in supplies of critically needed Patriot air defence missiles.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Associated Press in Istanbul on Saturday

Quote: "We have to recognise that we are not the priority for today. That's why I am afraid a long (Iran) war will give us less support."

Details: Zelenskyy said his most immediate concern is the Patriot systems needed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, as Ukraine still has no effective alternative.

These US systems have never been supplied in sufficient quantities from the outset, he noted, and if the war with Iran does not end soon, "the package – which is not very big for us – I think will be smaller and smaller day by day".

Zelenskyy had counted on European partners to help finance purchases of Patriot systems despite limited US stockpiles and production capacity. However, the war with Iran, now in its sixth week, has sent shockwaves through the global economy and drawn in much of the wider Middle East region, further straining already limited resources, diverting supplies and leaving Ukrainian cities more exposed to ballistic strikes, the Associated Press notes.

Background: US President Donald Trump has threatened to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme if European allies do not join the operation to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

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