Exclusively for CNN.. Source: Ukraine has run out of Patriot defense missiles

A source familiar with the situation told CNN on Thursday that Ukraine has exhausted its stock of US-made Patriot air defense missile systems, making it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's stock of Patriot interceptor missiles, one of the few defensive weapons capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, was running low.

However, interceptor missiles are expensive and face a major shortage globally, as other countries have exhausted their stocks or sought to strengthen their defense systems as part of the Iran war.

This is not believed to be the first time Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles, and Zelensky has spoken publicly about his ongoing struggle to secure more.

In mid-August, CNN was the first media outlet granted access to the Patriot system on Ukrainian soil, and Ukrainian officials revealed at the time that the country had almost exhausted its stock of interceptor missiles.

Zelensky told CNN in August that he spends his days making "millions" of phone calls to allies, seeking deals to acquire more Patriot missiles. He pointed out at the time that Ukraine had only a tenth of the interceptor missiles it urgently needed.

A month later, the Ukrainian president sounded a more optimistic tone, claiming that his country “will obtain a license to manufacture Patriot missiles” from the United States. But US President Donald Trump ultimately declined to say whether he had agreed to this, and the license was never issued.

This came before the relationship between Zelensky and Trump became tense in recent days, after Washington concluded an agreement to import Russian diesel, which was met with widespread criticism, and exerted increasing pressure on Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

Zelensky told the Financial Times that he would not agree to stop attacks targeting Russia's energy sector unless he obtained, at a minimum, more Patriot interceptor missiles. He added, "When he asked to strengthen air defenses, the American response was to weaken the Starlink service."

In a public statement issued on Wednesday, he renewed his appeal to provide more supplies, and said: “The American President has all the effective and necessary tools to bring peace closer through force, justice, and pressure on the aggressor. We request additional packages of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine.”