MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky claims that Washington had approved the purchase of US-made Patriot missile systems by Ukraine, but funding remains an issue.
"The Americans have unblocked the option of Patriot purchases, not just missiles, but also systems. And the only problem is funding," he told a briefing published by the Novosti.Live Telegram channel. "That is why I count on immobilized [Russian] assets."
According to the Telegram channel, Kiev will continue to acquire other systems, including NASAMS, IRIS-T and Hawk.
According to the Financial Times, US deliveries of air defense interceptors have slowed down, while "the missile campaign has destroyed key military facilities and critical infrastructure ahead of winter." Ukraine does not disclose the number of Patriot batteries it has, "but at least six are known to have been delivered, with components of at least an additional three delivered in recent weeks by Germany and Norway," the newspaper adds. However, over the past three weeks, Norway and Germany have supplied Kiev with components for at least three additional batteries.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on October 3 that the US government’s shutdown caused no delays in US arms supplies to the Kiev government, and did not slow down negotiations on the "drone deal."