Zelenskyy said that without the U.S., it will be difficult for Ukraine to get through the winter — CNN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine currently has only about 1% of the required number of Patriot interceptor missiles, while Russian ballistic missile attacks have become more frequent.
According to Zelenskyy, 5% of the required number of interceptors would be enough for Ukraine to get through the winter and protect people’s lives, while 10% would allow Ukraine to intercept all the ballistic missiles Russia is using to attack the country.
“This year, we have two and a half times fewer interceptors than we had in 2025. Russia is launching twice as many ballistic missiles per month as it did before... If the U.S. sells us 5%, we’ll get through the winter and save people’s lives. If they can sell us 10%, we’ll destroy all of Russia’s ballistic missiles. I have 1%,” the president said.
The president also said that he tries every day to secure additional interceptor missiles for Ukraine. According to him, a significant part of the work involves numerous negotiations and phone calls.
“This is what I live with every day: from 1% to 5%. There are months with millions of phone calls... I’m trying to trade something for missiles... I’m doing things I can’t even share. That doesn’t mean it’s illegal. But I can’t talk about it,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, the president noted that there remains uncertainty regarding the fulfillment of U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise to allow Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missiles.
“I hope I’ll succeed. Right now, I don’t even have 5% of that, and there’s no such recognition. And this is a major challenge for me—one of the biggest I’ve faced since the start of this war,” the head of state concluded.
The head of state spoke about this in an interview with CNN.
As a reminder, European countries have stepped up their search for interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems they plan to transfer to Ukraine. Kyiv is seeking to strengthen its missile defense ahead of a possible new wave of Russian attacks this winter.
Earlier, Finland explained why it would not supply Ukraine with missiles for the Patriot system.
As a reminder, during his first official visit to Serbia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that deliveries of interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems in 2026 had decreased compared to 2025.
The Air Force reported that 72% of drones were destroyed during a nighttime attack by Russia.
