Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a Ukrainian delegation will travel to the United States to hold talks on the purchase of advanced weapons. The key topics of the meetings will include Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS artillery launchers equipped with ATACMS tactical missiles.
The president made the announcement during a press briefing with journalists on October 10, following a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The agreements are part of a broader negotiation process over U.S. arms purchases, which Zelenskyy referred to as the Mega Deal.
“The main focus of this deal is air defense systems. We are ready to buy them and to engage in different funding programs. PURL is among them. There are also bilateral agreements. Our partners understand the need to allocate funds for air defense systems — primarily American, but not only,” Zelenskyy said.
The president added that the Ukrainian delegation will primarily discuss the purchase of additional Patriot systems, which are already in service with Ukraine.
“We are receiving positive signals regarding the use of frozen Russian assets. It’s not a direct confiscation — it’s another mechanism through partner guarantees. We would very much like the United Kingdom to join the PURL program. We have very strong and positive relations,” Zelenskyy noted.
He also emphasized that Ukraine’s Defense Forces need weapons not only for defense but also for conducting long-range strikes.
“You all know these names — HIMARS, ATACMS, TOMAHAWK. We are not afraid to talk about them, but we don’t want the discussion to drag on. We expect a positive response from the United States,” the president said.
During the briefing, Zelenskyy also confirmed that Russia carried out three waves of strikes across Ukraine — using drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles — primarily targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.