Ukraine gets more help in its war with Russia.
An Israel-based Patriot air-defense system will be sent to Ukraine after being renovated, four today and former US officials said in recent days and Western allies are discussing German or Greece’s logistics that gives another.
Speaking under the condition of anonymity, officials due to the sensitivity of the discussions, refused to describe President Trump’s view of the decision to transfer more patriot systems to Ukraine, nor commented on whether it was taken before the assumption of his duties during his duties.
The White House National Security Council does not provide details of the strength and positioning of defense systems, said James Hewitt, a Council spokesman. “President Trump was clear: he wants the war to end in Ukraine and the murder to stop,” he said.
The Defense Department said in a statement that “it continues to provide equipment to Ukraine from previously authorized packages”, referring to weapons pulled by existing stocks and new markets.
The tradition, which has not been mentioned earlier, comes as Russia has reinforced its attacks on Ukraine, including a rocket strike on April 24 in Kiev, which was the most deadly since last summer.
A year ago, the allies struggled to respond to Mr Zelensky’s demand for seven Patriot systems. Although Ukraine now has eight, only six are operating. The other two are renovated, one of the US officials said. With one from Israel and one from Germany or Greece, Ukraine would have a total of 10 patriot systems to protect capital, Kiev.
As Russia has intensified recent attacks, Mr Trump’s recent public observations on war have softened Ukraine.
Mr Trump had a heartfelt meeting with Mr Zelensky at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome last weekend, after a devastating February at the Oval Office. He has called on his negative rhetoric for Mr Zelensky and has questioned whether Russia is serious for peace talks. A late mineral dealing with Ukraine was signed on Wednesday, paving the way for more US military aid.
On Saturday, Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kiev that the mineral agreement could mean that the United States will send more air systems.
Under US export rules for sensitive defense equipment, the United States must approve any transport of US patriotic missile systems to Ukraine, even if they came through other countries. Systems are rare and their development is often a game of global hot spots shell, calculating which global crisis it most requires to defend US troops, bases and allies.
Mr Trump has ended the war as a goal of signing the US foreign policy, but at the same time, he has reversed this policy on his head. Although Russia began the war, Mr Trump often expressed admiration for his president, Vladimir V. Putin, and adopted some Russian speech points, such as saying that Ukraine should not be able to join NATO and that Ukraine was in charge.
Since the start of the war, Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called for more patriot systems, saying they were necessary to defend his country. Each Patriot surface-air system consists of a battery with a powerful radar system and mobile launchers that fire missiles to prevent incoming missiles.
The United States first sent a patriot system to Ukraine in April 2023. By January 2024, there were already missile shortages.
On Friday, Mr Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for Ukraine Air Force, said it was no secret that Ukraine needed more air defenses. “We really wait” for supplies, he said.
Since taking over his duties, Mr Trump has publicly acquired Mr Zelensky’s demands for more patriots, which Mr Zelensky has recently been offered to buy. When asked about Mr Zelensky’s request to buy patriots almost three weeks ago, Mr Trump said the Ukrainian leader “is always looking to buy rockets”.
But Russia is increasing its attacks on Ukrainian cities – including an explosive attack exploding in Kiev on Sunday that injured 11 people – since the United States began to push peace talks in February.
On April 24, a Russian ballistic rocket killed 13 people and injured almost 90 others in KIEB. In a rare reprimand of Mr Putin, Mr Trump wrote in the social media, “Vladimir, Stop!” He later said that there was no reason for Mr Putin to shoot rockets in political areas. “It makes me believe that it may not want to stop the war. It just beats me with me.”
The attack strongly showed how Russia can crush patriot systems, often sending a barrier from aircraft and rockets almost simultaneously. Nearly 70 rockets, including ballistic, and about 150 drones attack are targeting cities across Ukraine that night, though Kiev was hit the most difficult.
Ukraine did not have the air defense to reject that many rockets and aircraft, said Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Homeland Affairs.
The next night, Mr Zelensky renewed his offer to buy patriots. “We are ready to buy the necessary number of patriot systems for our country,” he said in his nightly speech. “It’s not a charity.”
On April 26, Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump met on the sidelines of the Pope’s funeral in the Vatican city, leading to the obvious reinstatement of their relationship after the Oval Office meeting in February. Both Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance excluded the Ukrainian president at this meeting, saying he had not expressed sufficient gratitude for American help.
Following the funeral of the Pope, Mr Zelensky said that together with Mr Trump they had talked about an agreement to share the profit from the export of Ukraine’s natural resources. Mr Trump later said that Mr Zelensky demanded a patriot missile.
“He told me he needed more weapons,” Trump told reporters. “He says it for three years.” But then, he added, “Look, he wants to do something good for his country.”
On Wednesday, the United States and Ukraine signed the mineral agreement. Although not explicitly states security guarantees for Ukraine, it ensures that US weapons missions to Ukraine will be missed unless a peace agreement is reached with Russia.
While Ukraine is still receiving weapons authorized under Mr Biden, these commissions are expected to end this summer.
Patriot systems cost at least $ 1 billion to build and about 90 troops to run.
The data drawn up by gun trackers at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London indicate that about 186 patriotic systems are operating worldwide. The United States holds about a third of them and have sent many abroad to protect its allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Several dozen patriots have been sent to the Indo-Pacific area due to threats from China and North Korea, although the United States recently moved to at least one Middle East to secure Israel.
European allies hold about 40 systems, including eight now in Ukraine.
The ninth Patriot coming from Israel and the revision for Ukraine is an older model, according to two US officials. It is expected to be delivered to Ukraine from this summer. Germany and Greece have about 15 Patriot systems together, according to the International Institute’s data.
Kateryna Stepanenko, a Russian analyst at the War Study Institute, a Washington -based organization, said that increased Russian strikes are likely to be partly seeking to exhaust some of Ukraine’s air deficiencies and reserves.
“Part of this is a psychological and political campaign that is being carried out by the Kremlin, in which it is trying to scare the Ukrainian people to substantially accept capitulation, when the realities of the battlefield for Russia are far from Russia to truly win,” Ms Stepanenko said.
Andrew E. Kramer References are contributed from Kiev, Ukraine.
