'Give us the damn Patriots!' Ukraine repeats demands for US-made air defence systems

Several US Patriot systems have been stationed in Ukraine and neighbouring NATO countries (Image: Getty)

Ukraine has renewed calls for the United States to dispatch more surface-to-air Patriot defence systems to help shield key Ukrainian cities from ongoing Russian attacks.

Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba insisted on the importance of the system for the defence of the country as he demanded in an interview with Politico: "Give us the damn Patriots."

He added: "If we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction."

Ukraine has received several Patriot batteries since the start of the war in February 2022, praising the system as pivotal in its efforts to bring down hundreds of Russian aircraft.

The country's military has also reported using the system to take down Russia's Kinzhal missiles – which the Kremlin has hailed as supposedly unstoppable hypersonic weapons.

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Kuleba urged the US to deliver the 'damn' Patriots to Ukraine (Image: Getty)

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The Pentagon revealed how bad the gap was — £7.9 billion ($10 billion). That means that the military services that sent stockpiled equipment to Ukraine won’t get replacements unless Congress approves the funding bill, which House Republicans have stalled.

The US and Europe strained to deliver weapons and other aid to Ukraine, which is up against a much bigger Russian military backed by a thriving domestic defence industry.

The Ukrainian government budgeted nearly £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in 2024 to buy and develop weapons at home — 20 times more than before Russia's full-scale invasion.

Russia controls nearly a quarter of Ukraine and has gained momentum along the 1,000-kilometer front line by showing a willingness to expend large numbers of troops to make even the smallest of advances.

Ukrainian troops regularly find themselves outmanned and outgunned, and this has contributed to falling morale.