【Ukraine Requests Patriot Missile Production Line from the United States】
According to Ukraine's "Defense Express," Zelenskyy reiterated during a joint press conference with the Swedish Prime Minister the severe air defense challenges currently facing Ukraine, stating that Russia's missile launch frequency is increasing rapidly, while Ukraine's air defense resources are dwindling. At present, the most critical weapon is the "Patriot" missile—there is no other weapon capable of effectively countering Russian ballistic missiles.
However, the key issue lies in the acute shortage of Patriot missiles. This missile system is extremely expensive and difficult to produce, with limited annual output. After the U.S. military fought the Iran-Iraq war, it directly lost half of its Patriot inventory. Now, the Pentagon is prioritizing replenishment of its own stockpiles. According to external assessments, it will take several years for the United States to restore its original Patriot missile reserves. Considering that other global buyers are also seeking to purchase Patriot missiles from the U.S., Ukraine’s prospects for acquiring more Patriot missiles in the future appear dim.
Under these circumstances, Ukraine is pushing for a solution: since U.S. production capacity is limited, why not transfer the Patriot missile production line to Ukraine so that Ukraine can manufacture them domestically to meet its own needs? Zelenskyy stated that he has already made this request to Trump and the U.S. Congress, and now is awaiting a response.
Ukrainian officials emphasized: Ukraine must accelerate domestic production of Patriot missiles before winter arrives; otherwise, the country's energy infrastructure will continue to suffer this year.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866708332016010/
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