KYIV: Ukraine received a US-made Patriot air defence system from Israel a month ago, with two more expected in coming months, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

Kyiv is scrambling to beef up its air defences to repel daily Russian barrages of drones and missiles, especially ahead of winter, with heating infrastructure a frequent target of the attacks.

“The Israeli (Patriot) system is operating in Ukraine. It has been operating for a month. We will receive two Patriot systems in the fall,” Zelensky told journalists during a briefing.

Zelensky spoke following his return from New York, where he addressed the United Nations and met with US President Donald Trump and other senior US officials. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Israel adopted a neutral position by not sanctioning Russia, unlike the Western allies.

Zelensky said that in September-October, US and Ukrainian delegations will be holding several meetings on weapons purchases through “various programmes”, without specifying the source of financing.

Zelensky said that Kyiv provided Washington with a list of the weapons Ukraine wanted as part of a plan to purchase $90 billion worth of arms from Washington, which he first mentioned in August.

When asked to comment on media reports on Ukraine’s alleged request of US long-range Tomahawk missiles, Zelensky said Kyiv was “ready for separate agreements on specific types of weapons, including long-range weapons.” He declined to provide more details, saying this was “a very sensitive issue.”

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2025