Ukraine may receive 500 Patriot missiles only after 2030, media reports
Photo: Patriot air defense systems (Getty Images)
Ukraine may receive 500 new PAC-3 missiles for its Patriot air defense systems only after 2030. Despite the US approval of the sale, such a timeline will not help address the shortage of interceptors that Ukraine's air defenses need right now, according to Radio Liberty correspondent Alex Raufoglu on Twitter (X).
According to the journalist, the announcement of the supply of US Patriot PAC-3 missiles comes with an important clarification: these are new interceptors, and deliveries are not expected before 2030.
Thus, approval of the sale does not mean that Ukraine will receive the missiles in the near future. Raufoglu believes this will do little to address the acute shortage of interceptors ahead of winter.
Ukraine still has no authorization to manufacture Patriot missiles
There has also been no breakthrough on the joint production of interceptors. Kyiv still has no authorization to manufacture them in Ukraine, nor is there a specific timeline for launching such production.
Asked whether Ukraine could be granted the relevant license, the Pentagon said it had decided to review the issue further. As a result, the prospects for domestic production of Patriot missiles remain uncertain.
In the journalist's view, the announcement of long-term procurement could distract attention from a far more urgent problem: supplying Ukraine with interceptors that are already available.
The US State Department approved the possible sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles and related equipment to Ukraine for a total of $2.1 billion. The deal is to be financed by European partners.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision important but noted that missile deliveries may not begin for several years. He urged US partners to find a way to transfer interceptors when Ukraine needs them most.
