Zelenskyy shares details on potential Patriot systems transfer from Israel

Ukraine had received indications about a possible transfer of older Patriot air defence systems from Israel, but none have yet arrived on Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with journalists on June 13 in response to a question from UNIAN.

According to Zelenskyy, an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been reached prior to the Hamas attack on Israel, involving the potential sale of “Barak-8” systems to Ukraine, considered strong alternatives to the American Patriot systems.

“Not Patriot — we agreed that Ukraine would be able to purchase Barak-8s, which are good equivalents to the American systems. We agreed to move forward in that direction. But then the attack happened, and we didn’t receive the equipment. There was no point in discussing it; they were focused on their own situation,” Zelenskyy explained.

Later on, Zelenskyy added, Ukraine was informed that it might receive older models of the Patriot system.

“There are weapons that work and others that serve as donors for restoring what does work. Some of the systems in Israel could operate if slightly refurbished. I won’t mention exact numbers because I don’t want to lie — we were hoping for four systems, though some people mentioned different figures,” the Ukrainian president said.

Ultimately, according to Zelenskyy, one Patriot system was transferred by Israel to the United States for refurbishment. However, this system has not yet arrived in Ukraine.

“We’re grateful that it appears to be intended for us. I say ‘appears’ because it’s not in Ukraine yet. If it were, I’d say — yes, Israel has transferred it to us — and I wouldn’t need to tell this long chain of events, through whom and for what purpose it’s being sent. The system went to the US for repairs. From the US, it still hasn’t arrived here in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy noted.

By Tamilla Hasanova