Ukraine, US, Israel in talks to send up to eight Patriot systems to Ukraine - FT

Ukraine, the United States and Israel are negotiating the possibility of sending up to eight Patriot air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

That's according to The Financial Times, Ukrinform reports.

"While not finalized, the arrangement would likely involve the highly prized Patriot systems being sent first from Israel to the U.S., before being delivered to Ukraine," the news story reads.

According to the media outlet, the outlines of the deal, which would mark a shift in Israel’s relations with Moscow, have been discussed between ministers and senior officials of the three countries, according to five people briefed on the negotiations.

Israel said in April that it would begin retiring its eight Patriot batteries, which date back more than 30 years, and replacing them with more advanced systems.

According to FT sources, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had held talks on the matter with his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken in recent weeks. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan had spoken on the issue at least twice with Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.

Israel has not supplied any weapons to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

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