KYIV, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed a pressing need to have advanced air defense equipment, declaring Monday that Ukraine plans to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems in the United States.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had fired four U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at the southern Russian city of Voronezh in an attempted strike on civilian targets.

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Patriot air defense system sustainment and related equipment to Ukraine for an estimated cost of $105 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who signed the document with French President Emmanuel Macron, called it “a historic deal” at a joint news conference at the Elysée presidential palace.

Raytheon, an RTX company, and Lockheed Martin are working with Ukraine to enable its Patriot air-defence system to intercept upgraded Russian missiles, Ukrainian

Used in Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion, the NASAMS system offers a sharp boost in air defence capabilities that the United States is exporting to Taiwan as demand for it surges. The U.

This is the second weapons deal with Taipei in a week, with only Australia and Indonesia now operating the similar systems in the Indo-Pacific.