Ukraine unsure what Trump meant by '17 Patriots'

Ukraine does not have a clear understanding of what former U.S. President Donald Trump meant when he spoke about delivering 17 Patriot air defense systems, a senior military intelligence official said.

“We don’t know exactly what [Trump] meant,” Deputy Head of Ukraine’s military intelligence Vadym Skibitskyi told The Guardian, suggesting Trump could have referred to interceptors, individual launchers, or full batteries.

He noted that each Patriot battery typically includes six launchers. Germany and the Netherlands have pledged three batteries in total, equaling 18 launchers – close to the number mentioned by Trump.

Skibitskyi added that Kyiv is awaiting clarification from the U.S. administration and Pentagon. He also confirmed that Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed a possible transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles in early July, but Washington later dropped the idea.