The United States has informed Switzerland that deliveries of Patriot air defense systems will be delayed as Washington prioritizes supplying the systems to Ukraine, the Swiss government announced Wednesday.
According to a July 17 statement from the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, the Pentagon notified Bern that Patriot batteries ordered in 2022 will arrive later than expected.
“The United States Department of Defense has informed the DDPS [Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport] that it will reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine, focusing on ground-based air defense,” the statement posted on the Swiss federal government’s website reads “This also affects Switzerland, which will receive its production batches later than planned.”
Switzerland had purchased five Patriot systems from Raytheon, with delivery initially scheduled between 2026 and 2028.
The move follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Patriot air defense missiles “are already being shipped” to Ukraine and said Germany will contribute to the effort. “They’re coming in from Germany and then replaced by Germany. And in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full,” Trump said.
However, a German Defense Ministry spokesperson clarified that no Patriot systems are currently en route. Germany has agreed to finance two additional Patriot batteries for Ukraine but is still negotiating the details with Washington.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that the United States will sell billions of dollars worth of military equipment to NATO allies, who will then transfer much of it to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defense against Russia.
The president did not disclose details about the deal, but when asked if it included Patriot air defense batteries and interceptor missiles, he replied, “it’s everything.”
