Zelenskyy comments on possible air defense supply delays amid Iran tensions
Photo: Patriot air defense system (twitter oleksiireznikov)
The situation surrounding Iran and the Middle East is not currently affecting US arms supplies under the PURL program, in particular the scarce PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says during a conversation with journalists.
Read also: Natanz nuclear site hit in US-Israel airstrikes – Iran says
Responding to a question about the possible impact of the conflict on arms purchases, Zelenskyy says that he just discussed the issue with partners.
"Of course, this issue concerns us, and we are in constant contact with our partners. Just 10 minutes ago, I spoke with the German Chancellor and also raised this issue," the President says.
According to him, there have been no signals of delays or problems from American and European partners so far.
"Everyone understands that for us, this is our life. The PURL program is working, I am working to ensure that there are tranches from our European partners, and so far everything is going as planned," Zelenskyy adds.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine notes that in the event of a prolonged war and high intensity of hostilities, this could affect the number of air defense systems for Ukraine, but for now, the supply of weapons continues unchanged.
Zelenskyy comments on possible air defense supply delays amid Iran tensions pic.twitter.com/NuiYhxxXvx
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) March 2, 2026
PURL initiative
One of the key mechanisms for providing Ukraine with American weapons and defense equipment is the PURL initiative. This is a joint program of NATO countries, their partners, and the US.
Partner countries contribute funds to a joint fund in accordance with a priority list of needs agreed upon by Ukraine, the US, and NATO.
This makes it possible to coordinate contributions, speed up purchases, and deliver items that cannot be replaced by European equivalents to the front lines more quickly.
In February, Germany proposed that Western allies provide Ukraine with 35 PAC-3 missiles designed for Patriot systems.
Conflict in Middle East
On February 28, Israel and the US launched a military operation against Iran.
US President Donald Trump said that Washington had launched a military campaign to eliminate threats from the Iranian regime.
According to him, the main goal of the operation is to protect the American people and allies. Trump also said that the campaign would last about four weeks.
The US President stressed that the operation was going according to plan and that the strikes had been more effective than expected.
According to him, about 48 members of the Iranian leadership had been eliminated. At the same time, Trump did not rule out the possibility of negotiations, noting that Tehran should have initiated them earlier.
The US leader also claims that he has three candidates for the role of the new head of Iran.
