The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States has said that Kyiv needs new Patriot anti-ballistic missiles to defend against Russian strikes this winter.
Olha Stefanishyna told reporters during an event hosted by The Christian Science Monitor on July 30 that Ukraine was in discussions with the Pentagon to have Kyiv produce the missiles, but that the process could take anywhere from 12 months to 5 years.
She said it was urgent to acquire new armaments ahead of winter, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ramping up production of ballistic missiles.
“We have developed the technology which allows to put down 95, 98 percent of all the drones and smaller missiles, which are attacking Ukraine overnight—and we are speaking about hundreds overnight,” Stefanishyna said.
“We have been effective in every domain, except having the effective anti-ballistic capability.”
She said that this was a known fact by Moscow, saying Russia has been “scaling up massively the production of ballistics.
“That’s why we’re looking for different capabilities,” she said. “We have been successful in everything, but so far, for this winter, we need the missiles.”
Lockheed Martin produces the PAC-3 missile for the Patriot interceptor system, which is produced by Raytheon.
Ukraine Allowed to Produce Patriot Missiles
Stefanishyna said that Kyiv has already met with Raytheon’s technical team, and Zelenskyy has met with the president of Lockheed Martin.
Both companies “will try to have necessary approvals to get their infield group to Ukraine, so we could really start talking in a more practical terms,” she said.
Stefanishyna also said that discussions were underway about Kyiv agreeing to a long-term purchase of PAC-3 missiles, and then swapping positions in the production timeline with buyers from other countries to ensure they have a reliable, consistent supply of the missiles.
Russians Used North Korean Missile
Russian forces have used a North Korean-made missile to strike Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, suggesting Moscow’s allies are aiding in the procurement of offensive weapons for the war, and as a result, Ukraine needed further support in obtaining defensive weaponry.
Zelenskyy had confirmed in a July 30 post on X that five members of one family—the parents and three children—had been killed when a ballistic missile hit a house in Radushne in the Dnipro region.
The Ukrainian president said in a July 31 post on X that, according to preliminary data, Moscow used a North Korean missile in the strike.
Zelenskyy said that while he recognized the expressions of sympathy coming from all over the world over the loss of life, “what matters most, however, is not mere sympathy and condemnation, but air defense missiles and pressure on Russia that can stop this dumb Russian war.”
“Air defense missiles—for Patriots in the first place, but also for NASAMS, IRIS-T, HAWK, and our other systems—are the key priority,” he said.
Both Russia and Ukraine have said they do not deliberately target civilians.
