US won’t give Patriots to Ukraine for free - Sales under discussion
Illustrative photo: The US does not want to give Ukraine Patriot for free (Getty Images)
Ukraine urgently needs Patriot air defense systems, as supplies received during the Biden administration are running low. The administration of current US President Donald Trump is in no rush to deliver new shipments, The Washington Post reports.
The outlet notes that while Russia continues to bombard Ukraine with drones and cruise missiles, ballistic missiles pose the greatest threat. Currently, only Patriot systems are capable of intercepting them.
According to media reports, the shortage of Patriot missiles became especially evident over Memorial Day weekend, May 25–26, when Ukraine failed to intercept any of the nine ballistic missiles launched by Russia. Two of those were aimed at Kyiv.
Position of the new US administration
While Trump has condemned Russia’s strikes, he has yet to send a clear signal about expanding military support for Ukraine.
What’s more, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that the new administration has no available Patriot systems to send and is urging European allies to share their own stockpiles.
According to Rubio, "None of these countries want to give up their Patriot systems, either".
Sale instead of aid
According to The Washington Post, Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration may be open to selling additional Patriot systems, but not providing them as part of military aid.
"They think like business people. If I give you something, you have to give me something in return. We have to adapt to this," one senior Ukrainian official said.
Even so, the option to buy comes with a major obstacle: limited production capacity. Western diplomats note that Raytheon is still expanding production capacity to meet growing demand after 2022. Meanwhile, the US is also seeking to retain a portion of its stockpile in case of a potential conflict with Iran or another adversary.
Efforts to secure another Patriot system for Ukraine from European partners are ongoing, but no breakthrough has been reached. Each country understands that transferring such a system is not just a political decision, but also a risk to its own defense capabilities.
"They should compare the pluses of supporting Ukraine and weakening themselves. We are closely working with Americans. We are very thankful to them for this system, but it's very far from enough, really very far," a Ukrainian official said.
Air defense will be a top agenda item during the upcoming visit of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to NATO headquarters in early June. New Patriot-related commitments to Ukraine may be announced then, though likely not from the US directly.
Ukrainian officials believe the Trump administration is trying to avoid making bold public moves on Patriot transfers, fearing it could anger Putin and derail possible peace negotiations.
US aid to Ukraine
In early May, it became known that the US State Department had sent a notice to Congress of an arms export license to Ukraine. The contract was worth $50 million or more. This announcement was the first arms sale approved by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Since Trump's return to the White House, no new military aid to Ukraine has been announced.
The US State Department has also recently approved a package to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Its cost is $310 million.
In addition, the United States approved the transfer of missiles from Germany to Ukraine. Over 200 units are involved.
