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Ukraine says 25 Patriot air defense systems would cover its needs

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Western partners can’t provide even 5-7 more Patriot systems to Kiev

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Ukraine needs a total of 25 Patriot air defense missile systems to protect the entire country from aerial attacks, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said.

"I will not tell you how many Patriot systems we have, but I can tell you this: in order to shield Ukraine completely in the future, it is desirable for Ukraine to have 25 Patriot systems of 6-8 batteries each. All our partners are already well aware of this and they even know the points where the systems should be stationed," he said on Ukrainian television.

On 3 April, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Western partners can’t provide even 5-7 more Patriot systems to Kiev, although they have more than 100 units in inventory. On April 4, he said he won’t hesitate to ask questions about Patriots at future celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding, even if that "spoils the party."

Ukraine regularly calls on the West to provide more air defense systems. Zelensky has said that Kiev has to wait in line for additional Patriot systems and missiles to them, and that it was hard to agree on any new deliveries. On April 2, Zelensky said that "air defense systems that are available around the world cannot just be gathering dust" on their bases and should be transferred to Kiev.

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