[Korrespondent] Two more Patriot systems will be delivered by the end of this fall to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.
The Ukrainian army has already received a Patriot anti-aircraft missile system from Israel. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this at a briefing on Saturday, September 27.
"The Israeli system (Patriot – ed.) has been operating in Ukraine. It's been operating for a month. We'll receive two Patriot systems in the fall," the head of state said.
Zelensky declined to comment further on the Patriot issue.
As a reminder, a year ago, media outlets reported that Israel could transfer eight Patriot batteries to Ukraine. It was noted that the Israeli air defense systems are older than the Patriot systems currently in Ukraine. At the same time, they are fully compatible with the new anti-aircraft systems.
It was also reported that Israel plans to phase out the Patriot and replace it with more modern air defense systems.
In June of this year, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine could rely on older Patriot air defense systems. One such system had been donated by Israel to the United States for refurbishment, but Ukraine had not yet received it.