Ukraine is struggling to secure more US-made interceptor missiles for its Patriot systems after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly warned over several months that the country was close to exhausting its stockpile. These missiles are among the few defensive weapons capable of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles.
Missile costs and limited global supplies
The difficulty in obtaining additional quantities is linked to the high cost of interceptor missiles and limited global supplies. This comes as other countries have used up their stocks or sought to strengthen their air-defence systems amid the war in Iran. This is not believed to be the first time Ukraine has completely run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Zelenskyy has spoken publicly more than once about the continuing difficulties his country faces in securing additional supplies. In mid-August last year, Ukrainian officials revealed that the country had nearly exhausted its stockpile of these missiles. In an interview with CNN in August, Zelenskyy said he spent his days making “millions” of phone calls to Ukraine’s allies.
Kyiv-Washington dispute over energy facilities
He explained that the calls were aimed at reaching agreements that would allow his country to obtain more Patriot systems and the interceptor missiles used by them, noting that Ukraine had at the time only one-tenth of the number it urgently needed. The missile crisis coincides with an intensifying dispute between Kyiv and Washington over the conduct of the war with Russia.
US President Donald Trump’s administration pressured Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy facilities, signalling that it could restrict military support and intelligence sharing. Trump called for an end to attacks on energy facilities as part of efforts to reach an agreement to end the war.
He also criticised Zelenskyy and called for Ukrainian leadership capable of concluding a peace agreement with Moscow. Zelenskyy, in turn, expressed his dissatisfaction with the US position. He said that continued Russian attacks on Ukraine made calls to halt strikes on energy facilities, without reciprocal guarantees, problematic.
