Ukraine’s ruler, Volodymyr Zelensky, has claimed that a United States-made and Israel-supplied Patriot missile defense system is now in use in the war with Russia. This is the first time Kiev has acknowledged the deployment of this type of weapon.
According to a report by RT, earlier this month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin had delivered the first launchers of two Patriot units to Kiev. At the time, Pistorius stated that Ukraine would need at least five such systems to protect its airspace.
“An Israeli complex is operating in Ukraine. A month. It has been working for a month,” Zelensky said. “We are getting two more Patriot systems in the fall. That’s it. I won’t talk about Patriot anymore.”
The issue of transferring U.S.-made Patriot batteries to Ukraine had surfaced earlier this year when Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky suggested that Patriot units previously stationed in Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, however, quickly dismissed the statement, denying any such transfer had taken place.
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Russia has repeatedly condemned Western arms shipments to Kiev, saying they only serve to prolong the hostilities and worsen the war before the already known outcome.
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Russian officials have also accused Ukraine’s military and financial supporters in the West of enabling the growth of an international black market in advanced weapons. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that arms diverted from Ukraine could become a global security risk, including for Israel.
Shortly after the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would “snap” the Patriot systems delivered to Ukraine. Moscow has already destroyed much of the equipment sent to Kiev to keep the conflict going.
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