Patriot missile deliveries to Ukraine: winter preparations drive new negotiations with Raytheon

Meeting between Ukrainian officials and Raytheon representatives

According to Кабмін: As winter approaches and Russian aerial threats escalate, Ukraine is pushing to fortify its air defenses. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky and Acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara held talks with Raytheon representatives to discuss accelerating Patriot missile shipments, expanding manufacturing capacity, and co-producing air defense systems. These issues had previously been raised during the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents' meeting in Ankara.

Participants in the meeting included:

• Serhiy Koretsky;
• Yevhen Khmara;
• Raytheon's Vice President for Land and Air Defense;
• Raytheon Ukraine's Executive Director.

The discussions focused on concrete steps to boost missile deliveries to Patriot systems before the winter season and to scale up their production.

“We talked about how to rapidly increase missile deliveries to Patriot systems before winter, expand production, and make Ukraine’s defense industry even stronger. Our goal is not only to cover Ukraine’s needs but also to integrate its defense capabilities into the global security framework,” Koretsky said.

Attention was also given to joint production of air defense systems.

“This direction was discussed by the presidents of Ukraine and the U.S. during their meeting in Ankara. The American side proposed practical steps. The Ukrainian government will do everything necessary to get this work started as soon as possible,” Koretsky added.

Significance of defense cooperation

The meeting between Ukrainian officials and Raytheon underscores the vital defense partnership between Ukraine and the United States, particularly in light of current security challenges. Increasing missile supplies and expanding air defense production could substantially improve Ukraine's defensive posture, especially as the security situation deteriorates. Joint production of air defense systems also represents an important step in strengthening Ukraine's defense infrastructure and integrating it into global defense supply chains.