The United States and Israel are in talks to supply up to eight US-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, with the hardware set to be drawn from Tel Aviv’s arsenal, the Financial Times reported. The move is likely to upset relations between Israel and Russia, which have continued at a low level despite a massive Western push to isolate Moscow.
Though the deal has not been finalized, FT described ongoing discussions between senior officials from all three countries, citing five unnamed people familiar with the negotiations. Some of those sources added that eight Israeli-owned Patriot systems are currently on the table, but said Kiev could end up with fewer in a final agreement.
In recent weeks, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reportedly discussed the issue with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was also said to have conferred with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, while Kiev and Tel Aviv have also held direct talks.
Kuleba would not confirm the negotiations, but told FT that “Ukraine continues to work with various countries around the world on obtaining additional Patriot systems.”
Kiev has so far received four Patriot batteries from the United States and Germany, though it’s unclear how many remain intact following reports that several launchers were damaged in Russian missile and drone strikes. The Joe Biden administration has signaled that it would soon send more, and recently moved to “reprioritize” future Patriot sales to allow Ukraine to receive them before other customers.
Zelensky had previously stated his country needed at least seven more Patriots to effectively defend its airspace, but more recently bumped up that number to “25 Patriot systems with six to eight batteries each.” (He appears to have meant six to eight launchers, as a single Patriot battery consists of multiple launching platforms in addition to a radar and mobile command station.)
Israel operates an older variant of the Patriot dating back some three decades, and last April said it was preparing to replace its aging batteries with more modern hardware. However, Tel Aviv continues to employ the system in its war with Hamas, and the weapons “have not yet been discontinued due to concerns that tensions with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group could erupt into a full-blown war,” FT added.
Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Israel has declined to supply lethal aid to Kiev, instead approving a small number of “defensive” weapons transfers, such as electronic jamming gear used to disable drones. Tel Aviv has sought to walk a tightrope in its relations with Moscow, as it seeks to maintain freedom of operation in Syria, where Russian troops remain deployed in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was considering stepped-up military aid to Ukraine last year, the Kremlin warned the move would only escalate the war and vowed to destroy any gear Tel Aviv might provide.
“We say that all countries that supply weapons [to Ukraine] should understand that we will consider these [weapons] to be legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the time. “Any attempts – implemented or even unrealized but announced for the supply of additional, new or some other weapons – will lead to an escalation of this crisis. And everyone should be aware of this.”
Will Porter is assistant news editor at the Libertarian Institute and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
