Zelenskyy presses the U.S. for Patriot missiles expected in new aid package
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Kyiv needs Patriot missiles to create an air shield against further Russian missile attacks, and it’s likely he’ll get them in an additional $6 billion aid package expected to be announced by the U.S. soon.
Mr. Zelenskyy discussed the need for Patriots at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a coalition of about 50 countries gathering virtually in a Pentagon-led meeting. His address marked the second anniversary of the group, which has “moved heaven and earth” since April 2022 to source millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket systems, armored vehicles and even jets to help Ukraine rebu Russia’s invasion, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the meeting.
The meeting was expected to focus largely on air defence systems, Mr. Austin said.
‘Urgent need’
Mr. Zelenskyy said that at least seven Patriot systems are needed to protect Ukrainian cities. “We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “This is what can and should save lives right now.”
U.S. o cials said the aid package will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for longer-term contracts with the defence industry and means that it could take many months or years for the weapons to arrive. The o cials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
The new funding — the largest tranche of USAI aid sent to date — will include a array of munitions for air defence, such as the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAM), and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as the Patriot munitions, Switchblade and Puma drones, counter drone systems and artillery.
The UDCG has been meeting about monthly for the past two years and is the primary forum for weapons contributions to Kyiv for the war.
Friday’s meeting follows the White House decision earlier this week to approve the delivery of $1 billion in weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
That aid, however, will get to Ukraine quickly because it is being pulled o Pentagon shelves, including in warehouses in Europe.
Funding infusion
The large back-to-back packages are the result of the new infusion of about $61 billion in funding for Ukraine that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
And they provide weapons Kyiv desperately needs to stall gains being made by Russian forces in the war.
Bitterly divided members of Congress were deadlocked over the funding for months, forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson to cobble together a bipartiwide san coalition to pass the Bill. The $95 billion foreign aid package, which also included billions of dollars for Israel and Taiwan, passed the House on April 20, and the Senate approved it on April 23.
Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the U.S. has sent more than $44 billion worth of weapons, maintenance, training and spare parts to Ukraine.
Among the weapons provided to Ukraine were Abrams M1A1 battle tanks. But Ukraine has now sidelined them in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too di cult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military of
cials said.