Ukraine required to pay for new Patriots
(MENAFN) Ukrainian officials believe that under President Donald Trump’s administration, the U.S. would be open to selling, but not donating, Patriot air defense systems, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
President Vladimir Zelensky has been increasingly urging Washington to supply more Patriot missile systems and munitions, citing critical shortages within Ukraine’s military. However, according to a senior Ukrainian official, the prevailing belief in Kiev is that the current U.S. leadership is unlikely to provide these systems for free. “They think like businesspeople—if they give something, they expect something in return,” the official told the outlet.
Despite Ukraine’s appeals for additional military aid, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified during a Senate hearing last week that the administration does not have the Patriot systems available to donate. Instead, Washington is encouraging NATO allies to transfer systems from their own arsenals. However, these countries have been reluctant to part with the high-demand U.S.-made systems, and production is not keeping pace with global demand.
Meanwhile, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace process in Ukraine. In a post on Truth Social, he criticized Zelensky’s tone, saying his statements are counterproductive and need to stop. Nonetheless, Trump also condemned recent Russian long-range strikes, calling them unjustified.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed a surge in missile attacks on Ukrainian military facilities last week, describing them as retaliation for Ukraine’s attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the strikes specifically targeted sites involved in drone and missile production.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, nearly 1,000 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were intercepted over Russian territory in the past week alone.
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