“To be honest, I don’t want to spread myself thin. And that’s why Patriot is a priority for us,” Zelensky said.
According to him, conversations are already ongoing about various missiles for air defense, in particular PAC-2, PAC-3.
“We no longer even dream of additional systems. But if we talk about anything else besides missiles, systems,” the president added.
Context
After the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28, the Islamic State responded with ballistic missiles and Shahed drone strikes, particularly against countries in the Middle East where there are American military installations.
After this, Zelensky said that he could send the best Ukrainian specialists to the Middle East if the leaders of the region convince the illegitimate president of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, to agree to a month-long truce in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In an interview with Rai Italia published on March 5, the president also informed that Ukraine is receiving requests from partners from the Middle East, as well as from Europe and the United States, to provide expertise in the fight against Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones, which are used against civilian targets. At the same time, Zelensky recalled that the war continues in Ukraine itself and the country has a shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
As of March 9, there are 11 requests from Iran’s neighboring countries, European states and the United States for security support from Ukraine in countering Shahed and other similar challenges, Zelensky reported.
