President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to reach an agreement with international partners on the temporary transfer to Ukraine of 10 to 30 missiles for Patriot air defence systems, so as not to wait a long time for US deliveries.
The head of state said this while speaking with Ukrainian journalists in Istanbul on 31 October, Ukrinform reports.
"Several times during this war, we have done this, and in various dialogues this operation has worked, when you swap places in the queue. I will try to do this with some partners. That package is 500 missiles, and we can take 10, 20, 30 from someone, sign the relevant guarantees and agreements, and then repay them from that American package, with some interest or perhaps without interest," the president explained.
At the same time, Ukraine is counting primarily on European countries to finance the purchase of 500 missiles, the sale of which has been approved by the United States.
The president explained that deliveries of US missiles are scheduled over several years due to production constraints. In addition, the United States is slowly transferring weapons from its stockpiles. According to Zelenskyy, that pace is not sufficient to ensure Ukraine has adequate protection. The situation is also complicated by the conflict in the Middle East, which affects the distribution of military aid.