Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding more air defense systems, and European defense is at its limit, writes the German website focus.de.
The ongoing Russian air strikes against Ukraine have prompted Ukrainian President Zelensky to request more Patriot air defense systems. He expressed hope of receiving ten more batteries. A new agreement, based on an initiative by US President Donald Trump, could now accelerate the transfer of urgently needed Patriot systems to Ukraine - albeit at the expense of European NATO countries.
Six European countries that have Patriot systems - Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain - are They have about two dozen batteries in total, according to Euractiv. They have already delivered a number of systems to Ukraine, but their own stocks are dwindling. Germany, in particular, is demanding guarantees from the US for the rapid delivery of new systems before more Patriots are delivered to Kiev.
Global demand for the most advanced US air defense systems far exceeds supply. The waiting time for new batteries is several years, and the cost of a battery is approximately one billion US dollars. Added to this are the huge prices of the interceptor missiles themselves.
Although European countries are willing to hand over systems to Ukraine, they are concerned about gaps in their own air defenses. The US is currently studying how quickly it can deploy new systems, but experts believe delivery times will be at least two to seven years - despite increased production.
According to experts, the key question now is which countries will be treated as priorities by the US. The final decision will be up to Washington.