Zelensky confirms receiving Patriot System from Israel

According to Reuters, Zelensky announced on Saturday that Ukraine will also receive two additional Patriot systems this fall.

Three months ago, Michael Brodsky, Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine, stated that Tel Aviv had transferred Patriot systems to Kyiv, though the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denied the claim at the time.

In a June interview, Brodsky explained that the systems had originally been delivered to Israel by the United States in the early 1990s and were subsequently used by the Israeli military.

The Patriot (MIM-104), developed in the late 1970s by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon, is designed to intercept aircraft and missiles. The system consists of launch batteries, radar components, and command-and-control units.

Over a year ago, the Financial Times reported that the U.S., Israel, and Ukraine were in talks regarding the transfer of eight aging Patriot M901 PAC-2 batteries—around 30 years old—to Ukraine, a move expected to significantly strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses against Russia. In May, The New York Times also reported that some of these systems had already arrived in Ukraine.