Zelenskyy on air defence: «We have nothing to shoot down missiles»
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- Darina Melnychuk
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15:25, 19 February, 2025
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the PresidentPresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the country does not have air defence missiles for Patriot.
He said this at a press conference on Wednesday, 19 February.
«When they said that there were no troops on the territory of Ukraine, but they have ships, air defence. The US has a powerful air defence system. Can we get 20 air defence systems? That would be enough. We don't need to maintain them, we have our own people, we will train them. Can we get licences? Not even missiles, but licences to produce missiles for the Patriot. I'm sorry. It's 3-5 in the morning when the commander calls me and says: «We are near this city, under this city, we have no missiles for Patriot systems. That's it, we've run out». He says that there are 8 missiles approaching, but we have no missiles for air defence systems. I think this is wrong. These are the things that make everyone nervous», Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained.
According to him, he asked US representatives what they could provide as security guarantees.
«You don't want to provide troops, you don't want NATO. Can we get enough Patriot systems?», he added.
Earlier it was reported that the US and Russia have developed a peace plan for Ukraine. It includes holding new elections as a key stage in resolving the conflict.
However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his support rating among Ukrainians remains high, so he sees no reason for any changes in his position.