The situation cannot be influenced even by European money
In the near future, deliveries of missiles to the Patriot air defense systems may slow down.
As reported by RBC-Ukraine, this was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press briefing with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Also read: The Armed Forces of Ukraine are deviating from norms in the use of Patriot, – media
According to the president, the risk of delays in missile deliveries to Ukraine’s air defense systems, particularly the PAC-3, exists due to the situation in the Middle East.
“I fear that they may slowly transfer these missiles to us, even for European money,” he said.
Zelensky noted that Kyiv is already working with partners, particularly countries in the Middle East and Europe, to find alternative sources of supplies and strengthen the protection of Ukrainian airspace.
Missile shortage for Patriot
Recall that at the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, Israel and its allies used about 800 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian targets. In comparison, Ukraine has received approximately 600 such missiles throughout the full-scale war.
Therefore, the Pentagon has already approached the White House with a request to coordinate a request to Congress for more than $200 billion to finance the war against Iran. This indicates the scale of the needs of the United States and the rapid increase in expenditures for conducting the campaign.
According to estimates, during the first 12 days of operations in Iran, the U.S. depleted stockpiles of precision-guided munitions that had been accumulated over years. Their replenishment will take several years.
It should be noted that on April 14, Ukraine and Germany agreed on a large-scale cooperation package worth 4 billion euros. It includes the transfer of several hundred missiles for the Patriot air defense systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
RBC-Ukraine also reported that the Pentagon signed the largest contract with Lockheed Martin worth $4.7 billion, which provides for the accelerated production of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.
