Latest news with #PATRIOT
News18
25-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Zelensky Downplays Anti-Corruption Protests, Seeks Putin Meeting, "Funding for 10 Patriot Systems"
Ukraine's President Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian and Russian delegations discussed a potential leader-level meeting during Istanbul talks, with Kyiv proposing it by late August. He urged Donald Trump to join, aligning with Trump's 50-day peace deal deadline. While Putin expressed interest in a meeting at the war's final phase, the Kremlin remained skeptical. Meanwhile, Ukraine seeks funds for 10 Patriot missile systems and faces domestic protests over anti-graft reforms, drawing EU criticism amid Kyiv's push to maintain war focus and secure Western support. 00:00 - INTRODUCTION02:19 - UKRAINE SEEKS FUNDING FOR 10 PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEMS03:30 - ZELENSKY: CORRUPTION NOT NUMBER ONE ISSUEn18oc_world n18oc_crux
Malay Mail
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
What to know about the billion-dollar American PATRIOT air defence system Ukraine says it desperately needs
WASHINGTON, July 15 — German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is set to discuss the possibility of Germany paying for American PATRIOT air defence systems for Ukraine, as he heads to Washington to meet with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the US would send an undisclosed number of PATRIOTs to Ukraine, and that the European Union would pay for them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked for more defensive capabilities, among them PATRIOT systems and missiles, to fend off daily missile and drone attacks from Russia. What is the PATRIOT system? The PATRIOT, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by Raytheon Technologies. It is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal and has been in service since the 1980s. A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 14, 2025. — Reuters pic How does the PATRIOT work? The system has different capabilities depending on the type of interceptor used. The earlier PAC-2 interceptor uses a blast-fragmentation warhead that detonates in the vicinity of a target, while the PAC-3 family of missiles uses more accurate technology that hits the target directly. It is not clear what kind of PATRIOT systems have been donated to Ukraine, but it is likely that Kyiv has at least some of the newer PAC-3 CRI interceptors. The system's radar has a range of over 150 km, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said in 2015. Although the PATRIOT was not originally designed to intercept hypersonic weapons and Raytheon has not yet confirmed if it is able to do so, in May 2023 the US confirmed Ukraine had used it to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic. Since January 2015, the PATRIOT has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat operations, Raytheon says on its website. How widely is it used? Raytheon has built and delivered over 240 PATRIOT fire units, according to its website. These have been shipped to 19 countries, according to Raytheon, including the US, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In January, Axios reported the US had transferred about 90 PATRIOT interceptors from Israel to Ukraine. Smoke billows above the city's buildings following mass Russian drone and missile strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on July 12, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. — AFP pic How much does it cost? A newly produced single PATRIOT battery costs over US$1 billion (RM4.25 billion), including US$400 million for the system and US$690 million for the missiles in a battery, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. PATRIOT interceptors are estimated at around US$4 million per missile, CSIS says. Why does Ukraine want more PATRIOTs? Kyiv has consistently asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks. While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, PATRIOTs are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones. Still, Ukrainian officials say they are essential to defending key targets from Russia's escalating long-range attacks. Russia says it sees the PATRIOTs as a direct escalation. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in May that supplying more systems to Ukraine would delay the chances of peace. — Reuters
CNN
11-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine's key allies meet without US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the room
Ukraine's key allies are meeting in Brussels on Friday with a noticeable absence at the table: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is only attending virtually. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was created by former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration, is a group of roughly 50 nations that meet regularly to discuss bolstering military support for Ukraine. It will mark the first time a US defense secretary has not attended the meeting in person since the group was established in 2022 just months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which comes amid a series of policy shifts by the Trump administration seen as moving closer to Moscow. Top Trump official Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Friday for negotiations with Russia, according to the Kremlin. Witkoff held a meeting with Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev in St. Petersburg. Russian state media and Axios reported that Witkoff is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Friday, but the Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on reports of a possible meeting. Meanwhile in Brussels, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group was chaired by British Defense Secretary John Healey for the second time, co-hosting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Pistorius said ahead of Friday's meeting that it was the Trump administration's decision to attend virtually and was 'not his business' to comment on the signal that sends. 'Given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future,' Pistorius said in a news conference immediately after the meeting. 'We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support. Russia needs to understand that Ukraine is able to go on fighting, and we will support it.' Ahead of the meeting in Brussels, the British defense minister offered strong words of support for Ukraine and called for putting 'even more pressure on Putin.' 'Our commitment is to put Ukraine in the strongest position to protect Ukraine's sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression,' Healey said in a statement. New pledges of military aid announced after Friday's meeting total more than €21 billion euros ($23.8 billion), Healey announced, calling it 'a record boost in military funding for Ukraine.' Germany will provide a further €11 billion ($12.5 billion) in military support to Ukraine through 2029, including IRIS-T mobile air defense missile systems and PATRIOT missiles, Ukraine's defense minister said Friday from Brussels. The United Kingdom and Norway will also jointly give an additional $589 million in military aid, to provide maintenance to vehicles and hundreds of thousands of drones. Air defense is Kyiv's priority, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of the meeting. 'We just need to address the shortage of air defense systems to make our sky protection stronger,' Zelensky said. 'Our partners can help with this and also speed up the implementation of all agreements reached earlier. Patriots that remain unused in storage with our partners should be protecting lives.' Zelensky said earlier this week that Russia was 'preparing' a new offensive, as CNN reported that Russia's army has increased operations across the front line in recent weeks. Ukraine's military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told Ukrainian media on Thursday that Russia has 'already begun' its new offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Meanwhile, a new United Nations report revealed this week that Ukraine experienced a significant increase in civilian casualties from Russian attacks in March. The number of civilian casualties was 50% higher than the previous month, with at least 164 people killed and 910 injured in March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said.
CNN
11-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine's key allies meet without US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the room
Ukraine's key allies are meeting in Brussels on Friday with a noticeable absence at the table: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is only attending virtually. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was created by former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration, is a group of roughly 50 nations that meet regularly to discuss bolstering military support for Ukraine. It will mark the first time a US defense secretary has not attended the meeting in person since the group was established in 2022 just months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which comes amid a series of policy shifts by the Trump administration seen as moving closer to Moscow. Top Trump official Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Friday for negotiations with Russia, according to the Kremlin. Witkoff held a meeting with Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev in St. Petersburg. Russian state media and Axios reported that Witkoff is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Friday, but the Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on reports of a possible meeting. Meanwhile in Brussels, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group was chaired by British Defense Secretary John Healey for the second time, co-hosting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Pistorius said ahead of Friday's meeting that it was the Trump administration's decision to attend virtually and was 'not his business' to comment on the signal that sends. 'Given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future,' Pistorius said in a news conference immediately after the meeting. 'We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support. Russia needs to understand that Ukraine is able to go on fighting, and we will support it.' Ahead of the meeting in Brussels, the British defense minister offered strong words of support for Ukraine and called for putting 'even more pressure on Putin.' 'Our commitment is to put Ukraine in the strongest position to protect Ukraine's sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression,' Healey said in a statement. New pledges of military aid announced after Friday's meeting total more than €21 billion euros ($23.8 billion), Healey announced, calling it 'a record boost in military funding for Ukraine.' Germany will provide a further €11 billion ($12.5 billion) in military support to Ukraine through 2029, including IRIS-T mobile air defense missile systems and PATRIOT missiles, Ukraine's defense minister said Friday from Brussels. The United Kingdom and Norway will also jointly give an additional $589 million in military aid, to provide maintenance to vehicles and hundreds of thousands of drones. Air defense is Kyiv's priority, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of the meeting. 'We just need to address the shortage of air defense systems to make our sky protection stronger,' Zelensky said. 'Our partners can help with this and also speed up the implementation of all agreements reached earlier. Patriots that remain unused in storage with our partners should be protecting lives.' Zelensky said earlier this week that Russia was 'preparing' a new offensive, as CNN reported that Russia's army has increased operations across the front line in recent weeks. Ukraine's military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told Ukrainian media on Thursday that Russia has 'already begun' its new offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Meanwhile, a new United Nations report revealed this week that Ukraine experienced a significant increase in civilian casualties from Russian attacks in March. The number of civilian casualties was 50% higher than the previous month, with at least 164 people killed and 910 injured in March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said.
