The State Department on Friday approved the sale of 500 Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine at a cost of $2.1 billion. In a statement released Friday, the State Department said the purchase will be paid for by Ukraine with donations from Canada and European allies such as Germany and Norway, and that no U.S. funds are involved in the sale. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the department said. He also added that the prime contractor for this deal is Lockheed Martin and that there would be “no adverse impact” on US defense readiness. Patriot missile assembly at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Camden, Arkansas. CBS News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the decision and thanked President Trump, but warned that it could be years before the munitions reach Ukraine. “We ask our American partners to find a solution for the moment when there is a real danger,” Zelenskyy appealed on Friday afternoon. In a post on 500 missiles, acquired by Ukraine, in the coming years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands in front of a Patriot air defense missile system at a military training area in Germany on June 11, 2024. Jens Büttner/picture Alliance via Getty Images “We are asking for decisions that can guarantee the protection of lives, not the day after tomorrow or sometime later, but at the very moment the threat is there,” Zelenskyy added. Ukraine has long warned about dwindling supplies of Patriots, which it uses to intercept attacks from Russia, and previously accused the United States of slowing shipments of critical missiles. The development comes amid ongoing tensions between Ukraine’s president and Trump, who faced criticism for waiving new sanctions against Russia just days before they were expected to take effect. Go deeper with The Free Press on:
