Kislytsa Explains How Drone Exchanges Help Ukraine Acquire Patriot Intercept Missiles
On August 20, Serhiy Kislytsa, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, told Ukrainska Pravda that the production capacity of PAC-3 interceptors is far too limited to meet current threats. To address this, Ukraine is proposing various cooperation schemes with its partners to secure these missiles—among them, drone swap agreements.
He noted that although countries and regions such as Western Europe, China, and Israel have developed certain air defense systems, the most effective proven solution for countering ballistic missiles remains the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system.
"But the production capacity of missiles compatible with this system simply cannot keep up with the scale of today’s threats. Therefore, we must find alternative paths. On one hand, we are negotiating joint production projects for Patriot missiles; on the other, we are working to exchange positions in procurement queues to secure interceptors."
When asked whether Ukraine's estimate—requiring at least 300 PAC-3 interceptors to survive the next winter—is realistically achievable, Kislytsa emphasized, "The President, Ukrainian diplomats, and military leaders are pushing forward this work every single day."
He added that many partners are already helping Ukraine by transferring their remaining interceptor stocks, but some nations remain reluctant.
"That’s precisely why we’ve launched various cooperation initiatives… Many people mock the idea of drone exchanges, but one key objective of these agreements is to provide our anti-drone equipment to countries holding ballistic missile defense stockpiles, so they don’t have to use their precious interceptors to counter drone threats."
Previously reported, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has already signed drone-related agreements with nine countries, while 15 similar agreements are still under discussion.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874081864392779/
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