The Ukrainian president appealed to the United States to sell Ukraine between 5% and 10% of its Patriot missile stockpile, given the declining quantity of ballistic missile interceptors in the country.
“This year we have two and a half times fewer interceptors than in 2025. Russia has twice as many ballistic missiles per month as before,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CNN.
Zelensky explained in the interview that one-tenth of current US stockpiles would be sufficient to stop all Russian ballistic missile attacks, but that 5% would be enough for Ukraine to make it through the winter.
“If the United States sells us 5%, we will be able to make it through the winter and save lives. If they sell us 10%, we will destroy all Russian ballistic missiles,” he explained.
Read more about this topic: Trump says the U.S. “needs missiles too” when asked about Zelensky’s request. The licensing decision still hasn’t been made (with video)
According to the EFE agency, Russian ballistic missile attacks have increased in recent weeks and have hit the capital, Kyiv, with particular intensity at a time when Moscow is reportedly taking advantage of the fact that Ukraine’s stock of Patriot interceptor missiles is nearly depleted.
“There are attacks every night, and four or five times a month we have massive attacks. They are terrible nights,” the Ukrainian president stated.
At the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit in Turkey in early July, US President Donald Trump told Zelensky that he would grant Ukraine the necessary license to manufacture its own missiles for Patriot systems.
Later, following a meeting at the White House, Trump said he was not sure whether he would allow Ukraine to manufacture those missiles.
Read more about this topic: Zelensky says Russia is bringing in more North Korean troops and missiles. He’s asking Japan and South Korea to help Ukraine in response
In the CNN interview, Volodymyr Zelensky explained that, with winter approaching, he is making efforts to secure anti-aircraft systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
The US war with Iran is causing missile shortages and directly affecting Ukraine, which relies on the US to receive Patriot missiles. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is attempting to acquire the Patriot missile system for Ukraine, but according to German media, without success.
