Ukraine Offers to Pay $15B for 10 Patriot Missile Systems

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to buy 10 U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems for $15 billion to protect densely populated areas from ongoing Russian missile and drone strikes, as per reports.

Zelenskyy said he made the proposal directly to U.S. President Donald Trump and earlier to former President Joe Biden’s administration. “There is the Patriot system, and you have many of them. One system costs $1.5 billion — we are ready to buy 10,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “We will find the money and pay for everything.”

The announcement follows an escalation in Russian aerial attacks. In the past month alone, Russia launched 70 missiles, 2,200 Shahed-type drones, and 6,000 guided aerial bombs, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reported on April 11. A Russian strike on the city of Sumy on April 13 killed at least 34 people and injured 119, while an earlier attack on April 4 in Kryvyi Rih killed 20 people, including nine children.

Despite a partial U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed on March 11, Moscow’s aerial bombardment has continued. Ukraine has stated it would honor a full ceasefire once Russia complies with the same.

Zelenskyy is also requesting U.S. licenses to manufacture Patriot systems and missiles domestically, citing the slow pace of arms deliveries. “We wanted to pay for it, get the licenses, and then understand how long it would take us to build a complete system for closing our skies,” he said.

However, President Trump criticized the request during a joint press conference with El Salvador’s president, saying, “He’s always looking to purchase missiles… you don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.”

The former Biden administration had already sent three Patriot systems to Ukraine, but military experts say current deliveries are insufficient. U.S. capacity to fulfill additional foreign orders is constrained due to high demand and production bottlenecks.

Zelenskyy broader defense procurement request totals $50 billion, which includes the proposed Patriot systems. He has asked European nations to help fund the acquisition and invest in Ukraine’s developing domestic air defense systems.

Ukrainian officials continue to press European governments to step up support, especially following the Sumy attack. “I call on your governments and municipalities to consider providing additional support for Sumy and Kryvyi Rih,” Sybiha said at a European Union council meeting on April 14.

While Ukraine has reportedly launched a domestic project to develop a system similar to the Patriot, Zelensky emphasized the immediate need for proven systems to defend civilians in urban centers.