Zelenskyy: Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot air defence systems from the USA

Zelenskyy: Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot air defence systems from the USA

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot air defense systems from American manufacturers.

This was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with The Guardian.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine wants to order 27 Patriot systems from American manufacturers. Meanwhile, European countries could provide Ukraine with their existing Patriot systems, he added.

The President stated that he is working closely with international partners to protect Ukraine from nightly swarms of Russian drones. However, so far, the United Kingdom and other allies have refused to send fighter jets to patrol the skies over the central and western parts of the country, something Kyiv has long requested.

When asked whether the EU and the UK are doing enough ahead of a cold and dark winter, Zelenskyy replied: "Never enough. It will be enough when the war ends. And it will be enough when [Russian ruler Vladimir] Putin understands that he must stop."

The article notes that the governments of France and the United Kingdom have promised to send troops as part of a possible peace settlement. When asked if he would like British soldiers to arrive earlier – for example, to take up a defensive position on Ukraine’s border with Belarus – Zelenskyy responded: "Of course. We have asked for many things, including weapons and membership in the EU and NATO."

However, he noted that the issue of the presence of European armed forces in Ukraine during active hostilities must be handled cautiously.

"Leaders are afraid of their societies. They don’t want to get 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."