Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s air defense forces is running out of missiles for its US-made Patriot systems during a press conference amid ongoing US-Russia negotiations.
He shared an example of a conversation with one of his commanders, who reported a critical situation.
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“At 3, 4, and 5 a.m. the commander calls me and says: ‘We are near this city, and we have no missiles for the Patriot systems - we’ve exhausted them… There are eight [Russian] missiles incoming, but we have nothing left to intercept them,’” Zelensky said.
When asked about security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said that if full guarantees weren’t possible, Ukraine should at least be allowed to produce its own Patriot missiles under license.
In the context of security, he inquired whether the US could provide enough Patriot systems to defend Ukraine, given its opposition to sending troops or allowing his country to join NATO.
Zelensky proposed that Ukraine could make do with 20 Patriot systems and a license from the US to produce the missiles in exchange for the absence of American military personnel in Ukraine.
Speaking at the press conference, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s push for security guarantees and its goal to end the war this year. However, he noted that the US does not consider NATO membership a viable security guarantee for Ukraine.
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He also detailed Ukraine’s military expenditure fighting the war against Russia, which he put at a total cost of $320 billion - $120 billion covered by Ukraine and $200 billion from the US and EU. “We need to clarify the aid [we have received],” he said. “The US provided $67 billion in weapons and another $31.5 billion in financial assistance.”
Zelensky also criticized the US proposal for an agreement to gain access to Ukraine’s rare earth metals, saying it lacked security guarantees for Ukraine and remained unfinished.
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told the Financial Times earlier this week that European and Ukrainian weapons depots have become nearly depleted due to the limited stockpiles that exist across the continent.
“The Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their depots,” he said, adding that demand for arms will remain high even if Ukraine and Russia reach a ceasefire.
Papperger also questioned whether Russia would genuinely “stop firing” as a result of Trump’s proposed peace talks with the Kremlin, and that Europe would continue strengthening its defenses to counter ongoing Russian threats.
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