“The German PATRIOT has arrived,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Sunday.
Germany has now provided Ukraine with three PATRIOT air defence systems, and according to Zelensky, the third system has likely reported readiness for deployment.
“We will be able to do more in the sky,” Zelensky added. “Of course, there is still much to be done, and protection is by no means guaranteed, but it is nevertheless a gain for Ukraine.”
Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized in recent weeks that Ukraine needs additional air-defence systems to achieve comprehensive protection of its airspace.
The numbers he has cited for the required PATRIOT systems range between six and 25. It is unclear exactly how many systems have been delivered so far and whether all of them are still operational.
