Ukraine Needs 10% of Patriot Missiles from US Stockpiles to Stop Russian Ballistic Attacks – Zelensky

Ukraine needs 10% of the missiles for the Patriot air defense systems from the United States’ current stockpiles to intercept all Russian ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made this statement in an interview with CNN.

He said that his days are spent making “millions” of phone calls and engaging in opaque negotiations with allies to obtain additional missiles. According to the president, 5% of U.S. stockpiles of missiles for the Patriot air defense systems would allow Ukraine to survive the winter and save lives, while 10% would make it possible to stop all ballistic attacks by the aggressor country.

“If the United States sells us 5% (of Patriot missiles — ed.), we’ll get through the winter and save lives. If they can sell us 10%, we’ll destroy all Russian ballistic missiles. I have 1%,” Zelensky said.

He noted that this year Ukraine has 2.5 times fewer interceptors than in 2025, while Russia is launching twice as many ballistic missiles each month as before.

“There are shellings every night, and four to five times a month — massive attacks… These are terrible nights. People are very heroic and resilient. But they’re tired,” the president added.

Patriot missiles for Ukraine

Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine has an agreement with the U.S. for monthly deliveries of missiles for the Patriot systems, but the volume of deliveries is insufficient.

At the same time, the president did not specify whether these missile deliveries are being provided as U.S. aid or as part of the PURL program — purchases from the U.S. funded by partner countries.

He spoke about the negotiations Ukraine is conducting with European countries and Middle Eastern states to obtain additional anti-aircraft missiles outside of the U.S. package.

During a meeting in the Oval Office on July 28, Trump rejected Zelensky’s request for 300 missiles for the Patriot systems to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from Russian strikes during the winter.

Trump cited a shortage of U.S. stockpiles and noted that these systems are necessary to protect American facilities in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region amid the war with Iran. At the same time, negotiations regarding a license to manufacture the missiles are ongoing.