Zelensky Discussed Patriot Missiles With German Chancellor Merz
Vladimir Zelensky said he discussed Patriot missile supplies with Friedrich Merz, stressing that Ukraine needs them to counter Russian ballistic strikes.
Vladimir Zelensky said that missiles for US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems were one of the main topics in his conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Ukrainian leader wrote this on his Telegram channel.
According to Zelensky, Kiev currently needs ammunition for Patriot systems above all, since Ukraine uses these systems to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles. He said he had discussed with Merz the possibility of supporting Ukrainian Patriot systems with the necessary missiles, as, according to him, Russia is relying on missile strikes against Ukraine.
Zelensky also said that he had discussed the situation on the front with the German chancellor. He also called Germany one of the «global leaders» in terms of assistance to Ukraine.
The issue of Patriot missiles had already been raised by Kiev earlier. On July 2, it became known that Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov had sent appeals to almost 40 countries requesting the urgent transfer of ammunition for these air defense systems.
On the same day, Zelensky said that Ukraine needed missiles for air defense to shoot down Russian ballistic targets, but did not have them in the required quantity. According to him, if the allies had fulfilled their promises, the situation could have been different.
Also on July 2, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat stressed that Ukraine urgently needed both Patriot systems and missiles for them.