Zelensky Seeks 5% of US Patriot Stockpiles for Winter, Citing Severe Missile Shortage
Ukrainian leader says securing Patriot interceptors is one of his biggest challenges, while US stance on licensed production remains unclear.
L'essentiel
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated in a CNN interview that he needs 5% of US Patriot missile stockpiles to survive the winter, noting current supplies are severely depleted compared to last year and US production licenses remain uncertain.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Ukraine faces ongoing air defense shortages and is seeking Patriot missile supplies and production technology from the United States.
MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky wants to receive 5% of US Patriot surface-to-air missile system stockpiles to ensure Ukraine survives the winter.
"[If the US] sell us 5%, we will go through the winter <...>. I have 1%," he said in an interview with CNN.
According to him, this year Ukraine received 2.5 times fewer interceptor missiles for Patriot systems than in 2025. Zelensky acknowledged that in order to obtain more missiles, he is trying to negotiate various deals, the content of which he declined to disclose. "This is what I live each day: from 1% to 5%. I have some months, and million phone calls <…> I try to exchange something to missiles <…> I do some things which I can't even share. It doesn't mean that it's outside of the law. But I can't speak about it," he said.
Zelensky still has no clarity on whether US President Donald Trump will agree to transfer licenses to Ukraine for independent production of Patriot missiles. "I hope that I will get it," Zelensky said. "I don't have now 5% and I don't have such an acceptance. And this is for me is a big challenge, one of the biggest I had from the very beginning of this war."
Zelensky admitted that he has begged the White House directly through calls and messages, as well as through allies, to increase supplies. He also confirmed that he recently held a telephone conversation with US Vice President JD Vance. However, he refused to say whether Vance demanded a halt to strikes on the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, as the Financial Times reported on August 12.
During the NATO summit in early July, Trump spoke about the possibility of launching licensed production of Patriot systems in Ukraine in the future. Bloomberg noted that launching production of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine would take a long time and would not allow Kiev to quickly replenish its arsenals. At the end of July, Trump cast doubt on the prospects of transferring technologies for the production of Patriot systems and their missiles to Kiev. He noted that the United States must be very cautious in granting other countries licenses to produce US weapons.
À surveiller
Perspective IA — des possibilités, pas des certitudes
US decision on granting Patriot production licenses to Ukraine
Possible · En quelques mois
Questions ouvertes
- Will the US approve the transfer of Patriot missile production licenses to Ukraine?
- What specific deals is Zelensky negotiating to secure interceptor missiles?
