Zelenskyi: Patriot systems are ineffective in the fight against anti-terrorist operations. Ukraine needs permission to strike ATACMS in the Russian Federation

Patriot air defense systems, like other similar complexes, will not be able to effectively fight against Russian guided air bombs (UAB). For this, the Ukrainian Defense Forces need long-range weapons for airfield strikes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin.

According to him, Russia uses guided aerial bombs throughout the east of Ukraine. In a month, the occupiers release thousands of bombs across Ukraine. Earlier in his Telegram, Zelensky noted that this week alone, Russia used 800 anti-tank missiles against Ukraine.

The president added that air defense systems can help in the fight against anti-aircraft missiles, but this is not effective due to the high cost of Patriot missiles — about $3 million. In addition, they are not produced in such quantities as Russia — KABy.

"We will never have thousands of [Patriot missiles] a month. And there wonʼt be hundreds of Patriots per month. And here the question is not only about money, it is simply not produced that much. Therefore, the Patriot cannot deal with anti-aircraft missiles, [like] any air defense system. In any case, you will win in the short run, and the Russians will beat you in the long run," Zelensky emphasized.

Therefore, according to the president, it is necessary to look for a long-range solution against airfields where military aircraft are stationed, which Russia uses to attack Ukraine with anti-aircraft missiles.

At the same time, we are talking not only about the territory of Russia, but also about the temporarily occupied Crimea — a distance of more than 300 kilometers. Therefore, allowing the use of HIMARS missile systems will not help in the fight against guided aerial bombs or aircraft. Instead, ATACMS missiles could help, at least until Russia fires anti-aircraft missiles from more distant airfields.

"There are airfields where they use UAVs, and while their UAVs donʼt fly long distances, so we can hit these airfields. But there are already airfields at a greater distance. That is, today we need to be allowed to use ATACMS deep into the Russian Federation," Zelenskyi said.

• On May 30, 2024, it became known that US President Joe Biden gave permission to Ukraine to strike Russian territory with American weapons, but with certain restrictions — the strikes must be against military targets in the border regions to protect Kharkiv Oblast.
• Ukraine can freely use American GMLRS rockets, HIMARS artillery missile systems and other artillery. However, the authorization does not extend to long-range ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles.
• On June 1, the American magazine Forbes wrote that the Defense Forces began to fire American weapons at Russian military targets in Belgorod region almost immediately after the US permission. On the night of May 31, HIMARS attacked the territory of the Russian Federation for the first time.