Ukraine is getting more help in the war with Russia.
The Israel-based Patriot Air Force Defence System will be sent to Ukraine after it is renovated, four current and former US officials said they have recently been debating that Western allies are giving something else to German or Greek logistics.
Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for the sensitivity of the debate, and refused to explain President Trump's views on the decision to move more patriot systems to Ukraine.
The White House National Security Council has not provided details on the strength and placement of the defense system, said James Hewitt, a council spokesman. “President Trump was clear. He hopes that the war in Ukraine will end and the killings will stop,” he said.
The Pentagon said in a statement that it “continues to provide equipment to Ukraine from previously approved and approved.”
This delivery, which has not been reported previously, comes as Russia has stepped up its attack on Ukraine.
A year ago, the allies struggled to meet Zelensky's demands for the seven patriot systems. There are currently eight people in Ukraine, but only six are working. The other two have been renovated, one US official said. Along with those from Israel and those from Germany or Greece, Ukraine has a total of 10 patriot systems, mainly to protect the capital, Kiev.
Trump's recent war duties have been softened in favor of Ukraine as Russia has intensified its recent attacks.
Trump met with heartfelt Zelensky at Pope Francis' funeral last weekend in Rome after doing something tragic in his oval office in February. He dialed negative rhetoric about Zelensky and questioned whether Russia was serious about peace talks. The delayed mineral trade with Ukraine was signed on Wednesday, paving the way for more US aid.
Zelensky told reporters in Kiev on Saturday that mineral trade could mean that the US will send more air force defense systems.
Under US export regulations for sensitive defense equipment, the US must approve Ukraine to relocate American-made patriot missile systems, even if they come through other countries. The system is short, and its deployment is often the shell game of global hotspots, knowing which global crises are most needed to protect US military, bases and allies.
Trump made the war the signing goal of US foreign policy, but at the same time he turned it over. Despite Russia's launching war, Trump frequently expressed his praise for President Vladimir V. Putin, saying that Ukraine cannot join NATO and that despite Ukraine being invaded, in some way, Ukraine is somehow responsible for the war.
Since the start of the war, Zelensky has repeatedly sought a more patriot system, saying they are essential to protecting his country. Each Patriot surface-to-air system consists of a battery with a powerful radar system and a mobile launcher that fires missiles to intercept incoming projectiles.
The US first sent its Patriot System to Ukraine in April 2023. By January 2024 there was already a shortage of missiles.
On Friday, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Colonel Yurii Ihnat said it is no secret that Ukraine needs more air defense. “We're really waiting,” he said.
Since taking office, Trump has publicly dismissed Zelensky's demands for more patriots that Zelensky recently offered to buy. When asked about Zelensky's request to buy a patriot almost three weeks ago, Trump said Ukrainian leaders are “always trying to buy missiles.”
But Russia is increasing attacks on Ukrainian cities — including an explosive drone attack on Kiev, which injured 11 people on Sunday — since the US began pushing for peace talks in February.
On April 24, a Russian ballistic missile killed 13 people and injured around 90 people on Kyiv. In Putin's rare responsibilities, Trump wrote on social media, “Vladimir, stop!” He later said there was no reason Putin would fire missiles into civilian areas. “Maybe he's going to want to stop the war. He's just tapping me.”
The attack clearly shows how Russia can overwhelm the Patriot system, often by sending barrages of drones and missiles around the same time. Nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and around 150 attack drones targeting cities across Ukraine that night, Kiev was hit hardest.
Ukraine lacked air defense to fire down many missiles and drones, said the country's interior minister Ihol Klimenko.
The next night, Mr. Zelensky updated his offer to buy a Patriot. “We are ready to buy as many patriot systems as we need for our country,” he said in his evening speech. “This is not about charity.”
On April 26, Zelensky and Trump met bystanders at the Pope's funeral in Vatican City. Trump and Vice President JD Vance denounced the Ukrainian president at the meeting and said he had not expressed sufficient gratitude for America's help.
After the Pope's funeral, Zelensky said he and Trump spoke about contracts to share profits from extracting Ukraine's natural resources. Trump later said that Zelensky sought a Patriot missile.
“He said he needed more weapons,” Trump told reporters. “He's been saying it for three years,” but then he added, “Look, he wants to do something good for his country.”
On Wednesday, the US and Ukraine signed a mineral contract. Although Ukraine's security guarantees are not expressly mentioned, we guarantee the possibility of shipping American weapons to Ukraine if a peace agreement with Russia is not reached.
Ukraine still receives weapons approved under Biden, but these supplies are expected to end this summer.
The Patriot System will take at least $1 billion to build, and about 90 troops to run.
Data compiled by the Arms Tracker at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London suggests that around 186 patriot systems are operating around the world. The US owns about a third of them and has sent many overseas to protect allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
The United States recently moved at least one to the Middle East to protect Israel, but dozens of patriots have been sent to the Indo-Pacific region due to threats from China and North Korea.
European allies currently own around 40 systems, including eight in Ukraine.
According to two US authorities, the ninth patriot, who has come from Israel and is overhauled for Ukraine, is an older model. It is scheduled to be delivered to Ukraine by this summer. According to data from the International Institute of Research, Germany and Greece together own around 15 patriot systems.
Katerina Stepanenko, a Russian analyst at the Washington-based organization, the Russian War Research Institute, said the rise in Russia's strikes likely partly demands Ukraine's air defense and some stocks.
“Part of that is psychological and political campaigns, the Kremlin sailing, and essentially seeking to embrace surrender when the reality of the Russian battlefield actually wins,” Stefanenko said in an interview.
Andrew E. Kramer contributed to a report from Kyiv, Ukraine.
