Allies seek deal on more Patriots for Kyiv before NATO summit: Source

Ukraine’s western allies are in discussions about supplying additional Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv and are aiming to reach an agreement before a NATO summit at the end of June, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The US and Greece are among the potential suppliers of these systems, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A government official, however, responded by saying that Greece is not considering supplying Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv.

Ukraine is increasingly desperate to get more Patriots, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling CBS news last month his government was ready to buy 10 of the US-made air defense systems that are vital for shooting down Russian ballistic missiles.

According to Ukrainian Defense Express military analysts, as of April this year, Ukraine had seven fully operational Patriot systems.

Quoting US officials, the New York Times reported on Sunday that Washington was planning to send a Patriot system that was based in Israel to Ukraine after it is refurbished.

It added that allies were talking about “the logistics of Germany or Greece” giving another one.

Zelenskyy said he had discussed air defense systems with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican, in what he called the best meeting the two ever had.