Ukraine and the US agree with Israel to transfer 8 Patriot systems
The United States, Israel, and Ukraine are negotiating to supply Kyiv with up to eight Patriot air defense systems.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Financial Times.
According to the FT, the agreement is not yet final, but it probably provides that the Patriot will first be shipped from Israel to the United States and then delivered to Ukraine.
The FT source also noted that, although the transfer of all eight systems is being discussed, not all of them may be sent to Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine did not confirm the fact of the negotiations.
"Ukraine continues to work with various countries around the world to obtain additional Patriot systems. We once again call on all countries that have such systems to provide them to Ukraine," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with the Financial Times.
The newspaper writes that in addition to the talks between the US and Ukraine, direct talks between Israel and Kyiv on the transfer of Patriot also took place.
It remains a mystery why the U.S. cannot transfer Patriot systems directly to Ukraine. The U.S. has more than 500 Patriot systems in service, and there are probably many more in storage.
Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 28/06/2024
