MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects Western air defense systems to be delivered to Ukraine in August-October.
«We are increasing the number of Patriot and other systems … We will continue this work. In August, September, and October, these systems will be in our country,» Zelensky said at a meeting with regional authorities on Tuesday.
On July 15, Zelensky said that Kiev needs 25 Patriot air defense systems to ensure the complete protection of the Ukrainian skies, without disclosing how many Patriot systems the country already has.
Earlier in July, a Pentagon spokesperson told Sputnik that the United States would provide Kiev with an old Patriot system worth about $100 million. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also pledged to send a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine in the 10-year agreement on security cooperation between Romania and Ukraine signed on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington last Thursday.
Earlier this month, the Russian Ministry of Defense published videos of two Patriot systems being destroyed by Russian Iskander-M missile. Russia has continually warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying this would lead to further escalation of the conflict.
