Putin vows to ‘knock down’ US Patriot missiles supplied to Ukraine

The Kremlin says US supplies of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, agreed upon during Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s trip to Washington, will not stop it achieving its military goals.

Vladimir Putin dismissed the weapon as old and said Russia’s missile systems would be able to shoot it down. “The Patriot air defence is outdated. An antidote will always be found … Russia will knock down the Patriot system,” he declared on Thursday.

The Russian president said “all armed conflicts end through negotiations” – implying that Ukraine would ultimately be forced to cede territory in exchange for peace. “The sooner this becomes clear to Kyiv, the better,” he added.

In a call with reporters, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said there were no signs from Zelenskiy’s meeting on Wednesday with the US president, Joe Biden, that Ukraine was ready for talks.

Peskov suggested the US was fighting a proxy war with Russia and was determined to keep going “to the last Ukrainian”.

During his first foreign trip since the invasion began in February, the Ukrainian president gave a defiant address to a joint session of the US Congress. He said his country would never give in to Russian aggression and that the White House’s continued support was key to ultimate victory.

Zelenskiy received multiple standing ovations as he stressed that the outcome of the war would determine the future world order. “It will define whether it will be a democracy – for Ukrainians and for Americans – for all,” he said. He predicted that 2023 would be a “turning point” in Ukraine’s struggle to liberate its territory.

Biden announced $1.85bn (£1.54bn) in new military assistance to Kyiv, including the delivery of a Patriot missile battery system. Zelenskiy said this would significantly enhance Ukraine’s air defence shield and prevent Russia from hitting critical infrastructure – “our cities, our energy”.

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