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Ukraine continues to face a shortage of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system, although deliveries from the United States have not stopped. At the same time, Kyiv is working on alternative solutions to address the gap.
The issue was highlighted during a joint press conference in Kyiv between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Rutte stressed that PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors remain a crucial component of Ukraine’s defense against Russian aerial attacks. According to him, shipments from the United States continue on a regular weekly and daily basis.
“The good news is that deliveries of these key interceptors continue from the US to Ukraine every day and every week,” he said.
He also noted that despite the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defense, Russian forces are still able to carry out strikes, while Patriot systems are responsible for intercepting a significant portion of incoming missiles.
According to the NATO chief, allies have also confirmed continued support for the PURL program, which helps fund the supply of interceptor missiles for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy added that the shortage of PAC-3 missiles did not appear recently. He said that earlier deliveries met Ukraine’s needs, but the situation changed after the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
“We used to receive PAC-3 missiles in sufficient quantities from partners, but after that the monthly supply was significantly reduced. It was not due to a lack of funding—we found the money and were ready to pay—but the quantity still decreased after the outbreak of the Middle East conflict,” he explained.
The president also said the reduction affected not only PAC-3 missiles but other types of weapons as well. Ukraine partially compensated through domestic production, but there is still no replacement for PAC-3 interceptors.
Zelenskyy further confirmed that Ukraine is negotiating with the United States for a license to produce Patriot systems either domestically or jointly with NATO partners.
“This aligns with the current policy of the US president, aimed at enabling Europe to do more for its own defense,” he said.
