Zelenskyy: PAC-3 missiles arrive for Patriots a day after near blackout

An aid package containing PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defense systems arrived in Ukraine a day after Russian occupiers launched a massive shelling attack on Ukraine, causing a near-total blackout. The package was expected to arrive a month earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

"Imagine this: I know that ballistic missiles are flying against our energy sector; I know that Patriot missiles are deployed; and I know that there will be no power because there are no missiles for defense. That’s the situation I’m in. And I’m negotiating PAC-3 missiles, which arrive a day after we’re practically experiencing a blackout. I can publicly say that this is a delay. But why for a day? They were supposed to arrive a month earlier," Zelenskyy said during a meeting with journalists.

According to him, partner intelligence reported that ballistic missiles were in flight, "and my partners know I have an empty battalion."

"There were empty NASAMS, empty Patriot. The USA isn’t giving us missiles for free. We can have different attitudes. This is being paid for by Europe. The tranche under PURL wasn’t paid. The missiles haven’t arrived. I’m simply stating what’s happening," the president emphasized.

On the eve of the attack, on January 23, Zelenskyy reported that he had agreed to a package of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot missiles at a meeting with US President Donald Trump on January 22. "I spoke with President Trump for an hour. And I received—I won’t say how many—PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot. I know how many of these missiles, this package, and how many ballistic missiles Ukraine can withstand," he said.

He added that he spoke with Trump about global issues, but, in addition to this, we resolved an issue “that exactly, very clearly corresponds to why I went there.”