Patriot system, photo: Dominika Zarzycka / ddp USA
Israel has handed over Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, which were received from the United States during the Gulf War in the early 1990s. This was announced by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky in an interview with journalist Marichka Dovbenko.
“In the early 1990s, when there was the first Gulf War, we received Patriot systems from the United States. By the way, these systems are now in Ukraine. These are the same systems that were then in service with Israel. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine,” the diplomat said.
This is Brodsky’s first interview in Ukrainian. According to him, this programme has not been publicly reported, which may create a false impression of the alleged lack of military assistance from Israel.
“When people say that Israel did not help Ukraine militarily, it is not true. Israel has also helped in the military sense,” Brodsky stressed.
At the same time, the diplomat refrained from discussing the topic in detail, stressing its sensitivity.
“I always emphasise that it is better to talk about this not in public, but through appropriate channels. So let’s leave this topic for the experts,” he added.
The transfer of the Patriot systems was the first publicly confirmed case of Israel’s transfer of Western-style high-tech weapons to Ukraine.
