Zelenskyy says he owes a ‘big shoutout’ to the makers of the Patriot, which Ukraine says has been killing Russia’s supposedly unbeatable missiles

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a shout out to the makers of the Patriot missile system.

• The Ukrainian president praised the defense system’s capabilities during a Davos appearance this week.

• The American-provided Patriots have proven to be one of Ukraine’s most effective defenses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week name-checked the surface-to-air missile system that has given Ukraine a fighting edge against Russia’s purportedly invincible weapons systems in recent months.

In a group interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that Business Insider participated in, Zelenskyy publicly thanked the makers of the Patriot interceptor missiles system while discussing Ukraine’s weapons expansion.

“I just owe a big shoutout to the makers of the Patriot. There is no [other] such system in the world today that can fight any missile — ranging from conventional to ballistic ones — any strike by the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said.

During the discussion with media leaders from around the world, Zelenskyy spoke generally about Ukraine’s weapons expansion since Russia invaded the country in February 2021, saying the country has increased its domestic production of missiles and electronic warfare systems “thousand-fold.”

But the Ukrainian president specifically heralded the American-provided Patriots as the “most powerful” weapons system “in the world today.”

The Western Patriots have proven to be one of the most effective defenses that Ukraine has against Russia’s top-tier weapons.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said it used a Patriot system to shoot down 10 Russian Kinzhals fired during a fierce air assault; Russian President Vladimir Putin once described the Kinzhals as unbeatable.

In November, a Ukrainian official boasted that the system helped shoot down five Russian aircraft in just five minutes back in May.

“The Russians are shocked — and I’m telling you honestly — our partners are shocked that this system really works so strong,” Zelenskky said Tuesday.

He added that the Ukrainian battlefield has proven to be the true test for the Patriot systems in action. A military analyst told Newsweek last year that the Ukrainians have used the Patriot missile systems in ways that have even surprised the Pentagon.

Zelenskyy had long been requesting the US to send the missile systems. They finally arrived in the country in April.

But the president’s praise for the weapons comes amid fears that US-provided supplies could soon run out. Each interceptor costs between $2 million and $4 million to make, according to The New York Times.

Republicans in Congress have threatened to pull future funding for Ukraine.

Business Insider reporter earlier this month that NATO and other member countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain could help fill the gap.

Global Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Carlson contributed to this report.

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