Trump open to sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of sending additional Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, according to the leader’s press conference in Washington.
A reporter asked Trump during a press conference in Washington whether he was considering sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine and whether a decision had been made.
"Maybe," Trump replied.
The MIM-104 Patriot is a US-made surface-to-air missile system used by the American military and allied countries. It is produced by a consortium of companies led by Raytheon.
The latest PAC-3 version can launch supersonic missiles reaching speeds up to Mach 3 and intercept targets traveling as fast as Mach 5.
This makes the system capable of intercepting Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles such as the S-300/S-400, Kh-22, Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, Iskander-M, and North Korean KN-23 missiles.
Currently, Ukraine’s Air Force operates several Patriot batteries.
In April 2023, the system successfully intercepted a Russian Kinzhal missile over Kyiv for the first time.
Ukraine's request for Patriot systems
In April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tasked Ukraine’s foreign ministry with seeking US approval to purchase additional Patriot units. Kyiv aims to buy $30–50 billion worth of weaponry from the US, including around 10 Patriot systems and missiles for them.
Recently, Ukraine formally submitted a request to the US for the purchase of Patriot launchers and missiles.
On Wednesday, June 25, Trump said he doesn’t rule out providing more Patriot missiles to Ukraine. However, he added that "we need them too" and "we’re supplying them to Israel."
