April 23 (Reuters) – Ukraine could face increased risks in securing U.S. anti-missile defences if the war in Iran goes on for an extended period of time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy, interviewed by CNN, said Ukraine received limited numbers of such weaponry because U.S. production was limited, but so far it had experienced no disruption in supplies or in provision of intelligence.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was able to secure U.S. weaponry through the PURL programme under which NATO countries can finance the purchase of weapons for Kyiv.
“Through this programme, we can include and buy anti-ballistic missiles for Patriot systems and some other weapons which is very important for us. We don’t have this…with our European neighbours,” Zelenskiy told CNN in English.
“And of course, (given) the big challenge in the Middle East war and Iran, all these packages are at risk.”
The United States, he said, had supplied “only a small number. We had not too much. We understand why, because the production in the United States is not so big.
“And if the war will continue or a ceasefire is delayed…(this) will be not good. And maybe we will have more risks with anti-ballistics.”
Zelenskiy repeated that Ukraine was making available to countries in the Middle East the know-how it has acquired in four years of countering drones deployed by Russian forces, many of them designed by Iran.
Agreements had been signed with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“We will continue to work with other countries,” he said. “We will be ready to deliver first our expertise…and the second point is training missions.”
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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