Ukraine seeks first direct PAC-3 deal to strengthen Patriot defenses against Russia
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (Photo: REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov)
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is working to
sign a direct contract to buy PAC-3 anti-ballistic missiles and expressed confidence
that it can do so soon.
Ukraine seeks first direct PAC-3 purchase for Patriot
systems, Fedorov says
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is working to
sign a direct contract to buy PAC-3 anti-ballistic missiles and expressed confidence
that it can do so soon.
Fedorov made the remarks at a joint news conference with
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson in Kyiv, answering a question about efforts
to secure PAC-3 missiles, Interfax-Ukraine
reported.
“We are now working to sign a direct contract to buy PAC-3
missiles, which has never happened before. And I am confident we will be able
to do this soon,” Fedorov said.
Fedorov said Ukraine continues to receive missiles from its
U.S. partners, but not enough to fully supply the country’s air defense
network.
He said Kyiv has “a specific plan for how to secure
additional missiles and fight for every missile.” Ukraine also has “some less
obvious solutions,” he said.
“Just yesterday, the Swedish defense minister and I
discussed this with the president. We have some less obvious solutions for how
to do this, how to involve other partners that have never provided us with
PAC-3 before. We are working on this 24/7. Our task is to get more of these
missiles,” Fedorov said.
Asked about PAC-2 GEM-T, or Guidance Enhanced
Missile-Tactical, missiles, which are also suitable for Ukraine, and PAC-3
missiles, which are anti-ballistic, Fedorov pointed to a contract with Germany.
“First, thanks to Germany, we signed a major contract for
hundreds of these missiles, with deliveries to begin next year. But we want to
borrow these missiles now from some countries, so to speak, and return them
later,” he said.
Fedorov said Ukraine had previously asked each country for
one, two or three missiles and eventually received several dozen. Those
missiles helped repel Russian attacks in February and March, he said.
“We are continuing this work. But of course, we plan to
receive more missiles because we will have direct contracts,” Fedorov said.
He said Ukraine is therefore pursuing two tracks to secure missiles:
- seeking to sign contracts and “pull together” PAC-2 and
PAC-3 missiles from existing stockpiles;
- working to create its own anti-ballistic missile.
“I cannot disclose details or specific figures, so as not to
give our enemy additional information. But I will say this: It is a very
difficult track, with maximum involvement from our president, who is also
taking certain steps every day so that we can obtain additional missiles,”
Fedorov said.
In June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had
signed a contract with Germany for 600 missiles for air defense systems.
Zelenskyy said U.S. production capacity currently allows for
about 700 missiles a year. At the same time, Washington has transferred
licenses to produce missiles for Patriot systems to Germany, which has already
launched production.
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