Zelenskyy seeks Patriot systems from US to counter Russia’s power grid attacks

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a news conference in Kyiv on Monday (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to order 25 Patriot air defence systems from the United States, as Ukraine tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across Ukraine on the brink of winter.

Mr Zelenskyy acknowledged that the Patriot systems are expensive and that such a large batch could take years to manufacture. But he said European countries could give their Patriots to Ukraine and await replacements, stressing that “we would not like to wait”.