Zelenskyy to NATO: Ukraine Needs More Patriot Missiles
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- Zelenskyy told the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara that air defense is Ukraine's top priority, saying 'we need our partners' determination' to secure more Patriot interceptors.
- Ukraine faces a growing shortage of U.S.-made Patriot missiles needed to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, which remain far harder to intercept than drones and cruise missiles.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine has discussed Patriot production licenses with Washington and urged European governments and industry to back mass-produced anti-ballistic systems, warning: 'This cannot wait until 2030 or beyond.'
- Zelenskyy described Ukraine's drone warfare capability as the world's most advanced, with forces eliminating tens of thousands of Russian troops monthly, supplemented by naval drones in the Black Sea and long-range strikes inside Russia.
- Patriot production is 'nowhere near enough to meet demand,' Zelenskyy said, calling the system 'excellent' but pushing Europe to build its own affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic missiles 'as soon as today.'
Why it matters: Zelenskyy framed ballistic missile defense as 'Russia's last major advantage,' meaning the production-capacity bottleneck he identified — not just current stockpiles — is the rate-limiting factor for Ukrainian airspace protection. The Ankara forum is where European defense industry executives can commit to scaling anti-ballistic output, and Zelenskyy is explicitly tying any delay after 2030 to continued Ukrainian vulnerability.
