Russian military expert Vasily Dandykin said a NATO official's claim that Ukraine cannot receive a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles by autumn is, to some extent, an excuse. He made the comment to Lenta.ru.
US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker earlier said the United States and Ukraine would not reach a deal on licensing production of Patriot interceptor missiles before the coming winter.
Why the US is hesitant
Dandykin explained that the United States only manufactures Patriot missiles domestically and would only entrust the process to proven allies. He added that the situation at the front could change significantly by the end of the year given the Russian army's successes.
Dandykin said Ukraine has missiles other than Patriot, but none of its other systems can counter ballistic missiles, especially hypersonic ones. He said that even if Ukraine received the 300 missiles it requested, the supply would not last long given the intensity of Russian strikes.
Zelensky's earlier criticism
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier criticized Europe and the United States for not supplying Kyiv with Patriot missiles, saying anti-ballistic missiles should protect people rather than sit in storage.
