No country can fully replace US military aid, says Zelenskyy: 'Only the US produces the best systems'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Neither Germany nor any other European country can fully replace the volume of military aid the United States provides to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a briefing.
What Zelenskyy Said
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that US support is difficult to replace.
"We rely on intelligence from the US and Europe, which saves lives from ballistic attacks and more. We can't compensate for that. The devil is in the details — there are other things we simply can't replace," he explained.
At the same time, he pointed out that in the future, Ukraine may no longer need to compensate for "certain things."
"We talked about new modern F-16 jets… We need them today to counter Shaheds. We use F-16s against drones and missiles, and this model works. But in time, we won't need them, because we'll have affordable interceptor drones, which we're already producing — just not yet on a large scale," the president clarified.
According to him, however, it will remain impossible to compensate for artillery, rocket systems, and air defense. He noted, for example, that Germany does not produce Patriot systems.
"Only the US produces the best systems. Right now, I can't find an alternative — but I believe that in the future, one will be found," Zelenskyy said.
What Pistorius said
"Neither Germany on its own, nor any other country in Europe, can compensate for what the US is able to provide — particularly intelligence and some other very specific capabilities that will remain highly relevant for Ukraine," emphasized German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
He added that it is Europe's shared responsibility to compensate for as much of the aid gap as possible.
US military aid to Ukraine
Ukraine continues to receive aid previously pledged by the administration of former US President Joe Biden. However, current President Donald Trump has not made any decisions regarding new weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhii Tykhyi, recently stated that Ukraine is working on a solution that would allow US weapons supplies to continue.
