Israel had previously denied supplying air defense systems to Kyiv and provided assurances to the Russian side. In a video posted by the Ukrainian news agency ‘Unian’ on its Telegram channel, Zelensky stated, ‘The Israeli system has been operating in Ukraine for a month. We will receive two Patriot systems in the fall.’ However, Zelensky did not specify which country would supply the two systems, nor did he provide any further details.
In June, the Israeli ambassador to Kyiv, Michael Brodsky, in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Marichka Dovbenko broadcast on YouTube, stated that ‘Israel transferred Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, which it had previously received from the United States and used since the early nineties.’ The diplomat expressed ‘regret over the lack of media attention on this topic,’ rejecting claims that Israel had not provided any military assistance to Ukraine.
In August 2024, Brodsky mentioned ongoing discussions in Israel regarding dismantling old Patriot air defense systems and transferring them to Ukraine, but no final decision had been made at that time. Shortly after Brodsky’s interview with Dovbenko was published, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reported that Russia had received clarification from Israel regarding the claims of Patriot missile transfers to Ukraine. According to her, the Israeli Foreign Ministry denied these reports and described them as incorrect. Zakharova confirmed that Russia relies on ‘the official confirmation from the Israeli side that this country has not supplied Ukraine with weapons and does not intend to do so in the future.’
