Only 2 Patriots, not 17? Expert reveals real numbers
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Among all the statements made by US President Donald Trump recently, the most important for Ukraine are those concerning weapons deliveries, stated political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"Of everything that was said yesterday, I believe the most important for us are the announcements and decisions regarding arms supplies," he noted.
At the same time, Fesenko urged caution in taking some of Trump’s promises literally, especially the one about delivering 17 Patriot air defense systems. According to him, this should be taken with a grain of salt, "divided by two, three, or even four, especially when Trump mentioned 17 Patriots."
He expressed doubts about the realization of such a scale of supply, suggesting that the Pentagon likely doesn’t know where to get such a quantity: "I get the impression that the Pentagon wasn’t even aware of where to get 17 Patriots."
The expert believes a more realistic scenario was presented by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who was also in Washington. According to Pistorius, the plan is to transfer 1 or 2 Patriot systems to Ukraine, and even that still requires technical and logistical coordination.
"That’s more realistic," the expert emphasized, adding that the very fact of planned weapons deliveries is already a positive signal for Ukraine: "Nonetheless, the fact that weapons will be delivered is, in my opinion, a positive decision."
Trump’s statement
US President Donald Trump previously stated that one country is preparing to send 17 Patriot air defense systems, as it no longer needs them. According to him, most of those systems will soon be on the battlefield.
At the same time, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that his country plans to support Ukraine with two additional Patriot systems. Germany understands it has a responsibility to help Ukrainians feel more protected during Russia’s massive missile strikes.
