Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is not the United States’ top priority for deliveries of PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defense systems, as most of these missiles are being directed to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Kyiv expects additional F-16 fighter jets from Belgium by the end of the year and is working to expand its communications and intelligence capabilities.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the remarks during a briefing following talks with European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels on October 16.
According to the president, Ukraine receives PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles from the United States through the European-funded PURL program. However, there is currently a significant shortage of these interceptors.
“Most PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles have been going to the Middle East for quite some time. That’s no secret. We are not the number one priority when it comes to the allocation of PAC-2 and PAC-3,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine receives Patriot missiles not only from the United States but also from other countries. According to him, partners provide two, five or ten missiles at a time, depending on what they have available.
The president also reported talks with Belgium on further deliveries of F-16 fighter jets.
“We discussed F-16s with the Belgian side. We expect additional F-16s by the end of the year,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian forces are already using these aircraft to shoot down high-speed, jet-powered Shahed drones and have achieved good results.
Commenting on restrictions affecting Starlink, the president explained that satellite communications are essential, particularly for frontline logistics. Ukrainian troops can remain at their positions for weeks or months under constant surveillance by Russian drones, so food and water are delivered to them using Starlink-equipped drones that need to travel at high speeds.
“They were disrupting logistics and the protection of civilians. So this is very unpleasant,” Zelenskyy said.
The president clarified that Ukraine is not seeking to replace Starlink entirely but is exploring additional options.
“We are not talking about replacing Starlink. We are working with several countries, including France, to develop additional capabilities,” he said.
Regarding intelligence, Zelenskyy said dozens of countries provide Ukraine with information. In particular, the United States supplies data on ballistic missile launches.
“We are working on every possible option to make Ukraine as independent as possible,” the president emphasized.
During the briefing, Zelenskyy also raised the issue of frozen Russian assets, which Ukraine is discussing with European Union leaders. According to him, Russia wants to recover these funds, making it important to prevent Moscow from influencing what happens to the assets.
“We know for certain that they very much want to get them back. This is one of Russia’s objectives. Ukraine wants to receive this money before Russia has a chance to do so,” Zelenskyy said.
