Zelenskyy: We need 25 Patriots to cover Ukraine completely

15:03, 15.07.2024 1 min read

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the sky above the country completely.

"As for our air defense structure, according to our military, we need 25 systems to cover Ukraine completely. That would be a completely closed sky above Ukraine," he told a Monday press conference in Kyiv.

At the same time, the head of state noted that Patriot is not the only system needed by Ukraine because it is protected by a combination of systems. A Patriot alone cannot work, but it plays the major part in the overall system, and it is the strongest component of this system, because nothing else can shoot down ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy said he could not name the exact number of such systems available in Ukraine today.

"As you already understand, when there is a decision at the NATO Summit regarding five systems, you understand how serious this contribution [to our air defense] is," he said.