Swiss officials say the United States diverted already-purchased Patriot air defense systems from Bern to Kyiv as part of the White House’s renewed effort to boost Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, according to Swiss authorities.
Switzerland was expecting to receive the first of five Patriot systems in 2026 after completing the purchase in 2022.
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American officials sent the notification about the new delay in delivery on Wednesday, according to a statement made the following day by Swiss officials.
“The US wants to increase its support to Ukraine by enabling countries that are currently transferring weapons systems to Ukraine to quickly acquire more,” the official announcement said.
“Therefore, the US has decided to reprioritize the delivery of Patriot ground-based air defense systems.”
The abrupt announcement appeared to take Swiss officials off guard, who wrote that they were unsure of how the change in allotment schedule would affect their procurement in the long run.
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“Switzerland will only receive production of the systems at a later date,” officials wrote.
“It is currently unclear how many systems will be affected and whether the delivery of guided missiles will also be affected.”
The sales process is largely overseen by the US military, the Swiss announcement notes.
“No statement can be made at this time regarding the exact timing or any further impacts on Switzerland,” Swiss authorities wrote. “Investigations are ongoing.”
This is not the first time that the US has delayed weapons shipments to Switzerland due to a reprioritization of needs.
In 2024, the US diverted a shipment of PAC-3 MSE interceptors, ordered by Bern in 2023, to Kyiv as one of the most advanced options for shooting down incoming projectiles with the Patriot system.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine’s American and European allies had agreed to send additional Patriot air defense systems earlier this week.
“[NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte] informed about today’s meeting in Washington with President Trump and about the details of cooperation between Europe and the U.S. to continue and strengthen support for Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on X on Monday.
“We appreciate the readiness to provide additional Patriots, and the U.S., Germany, and Norway are already working together on this. There will also be deliveries of other weapons to protect lives of our people and repel Russian assaults.”
“It’s important to increase pressure on Russia for the sake of peace and to save lives. Thank you, Mark!” the president added.
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