Desperate Ukraine asks to borrow Patriot air defense systems from its allies, will return when asked

Suffering from relentless Russian mass missile and drone attacks, Ukraine is desperate for more air defense systems and Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has an idea of where the country can find them – borrow them from its allies, he told The Washington Post on April 10.

He promised that for any country that lent Ukraine its Patriot system for temporary use, it would be returned as soon as it is requested.

Read also: Kuleba, Borrell discuss EU's potential supplies of Patriot AA systems

He noted his frustration in finding additional Patriot systems as Ukrainian cities continue to get pummeled by Russia’s advanced systems of warfare.

“I feel like hitting the wall with my own head, even though I’m a diplomat – and that means I have to dismantle the wall brick by brick,” he said.

“But since this kind of diplomacy doesn’t work, I feel like hitting the wall. I just don’t understand why it’s not happening.”

He decided to change the diplomatic rhetoric to a tougher one after people in Kyiv heard explosions less than a minute after the air raid siren went off, he admitted.

Read also: Russia scrambles to destroy Ukraine's Patriot missile systems as enemy aircraft losses grow — expert

“People usually have more time to find shelter,” he said.

“Russia deployed ballistic missiles this time. They were quickly intercepted—almost certainly by the Patriot system.”

He contrasted the experience in the capital with what Ukrainians in other cities experience on a near daily basis.

"If this could happen in Kyiv, the most protected city of Ukraine, imagine the horror faced by all who live outside the capital."

The problem is that people are simply used to the fact that the war is happening "somewhere out there”.

"The feeling that extraordinary decisions are needed on a regular basis to ensure Ukrainian victory has disappeared," Kuleba said, referring to the reluctance of Ukraine’s allies to further assist Ukraine with its air defenses.

New air defense systems for Ukraine

Ukraine received American Patriot systems not from the United States, but from other partners, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 28. The money allocated for the Patriot system never went directly to Ukraine. European Union countries were engaged in the transfer of these systems.

Ukraine needs the support of partners who are able to stop Russian terror by providing new air defense systems, Zelenskyy said following Russia’s massive Kyiv attack on March 21.

Read also: Berlin searching for Patriot systems from beyond NATO—Kuleba

Russia used almost 190 missiles of various types and almost 140 Shahed drones against Ukraine from March 18 to 24, he said later.

Russia used over 40 attack drones and over 40 missiles, including hypersonic missiles, in its April 11 attack alone.

Kuleba discussed options to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense systems with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on March 25.

Ukraine has submitted requests for air defense systems to every country that possesses them, Zelenskyy said on March 30.

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