Ukraine lobbied the US to cooperate in the production of Patriot steel shields

Ukraine is pushing the US to cooperate in the production of the Patriot air defense system to cope with firepower from Russia, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said in an interview with European Pravda Posted on April 23.

Ukraine is facing a shortage of air defense systems amid increasing Russian attacks on military facilities and energy infrastructure. Ukraine evaluates US-made Patriot systems as highly effective in intercepting Russian ballistic and cruise missiles.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems to protect the country from Russian attacks, but Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he is focusing on mobilizing allies to aid 7 complexes to protect them. Ukraine’s largest cities.

According to Ambassador Markarova, Patriot production cooperation was one of the top issues discussed during Mr. Zelensky’s visit to the US.

The Ambassador said: “This is an important global strategic task and an economic cooperation activity. But it is also an activity to increase combat capabilities and produce weapons that Ukraine needs immediately.” “.

Representatives of Ukrainian and American businesses reportedly met to discuss investment and cooperation not only on weapons but also on the materials needed to start the joint production process.

“We should start producing many products ourselves, at least components and at most finished products,” said official Markarova.

Ukraine has joint defense production agreements with several countries, including the United States. Kiev and Washington signed a declaration of intent to cooperate in arms production in December 2023.

The agreement between the two countries is expected to contribute to the construction of production facilities in Ukraine to supply weapons to the army, especially air defense equipment and ammunition, as well as repair and maintenance services. .

In April last year, Ukraine received its first two Patriot systems from the US and Germany. In October of the same year, Germany pledged to provide another Patriot system to assist Ukraine in dealing with an increase in Russian attacks during the winter months.

In April this year, Germany announced that it would provide Ukraine with another Patriot complex. Patriot is a multi-purpose long-range air defense missile system, with a range of 70-160km, capable of operating in all weather conditions.

Patriot is capable of intercepting a variety of targets from the air, including fighter aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

However, Ukraine said the number of Patriot complexes it has is not enough to protect important infrastructure. Ukraine admitted that it had considered the option of temporarily borrowing or leasing these complexes from European countries, but the plan has not been approved.

On April 17, in a letter sent to dozens of countries, Germany announced a global initiative to seek additional air defense systems for Ukraine.