Patriot shortage leaves Kyiv unable to block Russian ballistic missile strikes
The United States told European allies on Tuesday that they must not let remilitarisation and support for Ukraine falter, opening a 50-country virtual meeting of the Ukraine contact group with an appeal for sustained military assistance. Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defence, said support for Kyiv “contributes to Europe’s security” and praised Ukraine’s “stout defence.”
“Support for Ukraine contributes to Europe’s security,” Colby said, and helps “to rebuild Europe’s military strength and industrial capacity. But words are not enough. Real money and industrial capacity must be put to work. Again, I underline that this is happening, but we must not slacken.”
The meeting was convened to secure 300 Patriot missile interceptors for Kyiv. Before the meeting began, the UK announced it had committed £100 million to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter by buying a package of US military equipment that will include urgently needed Patriot missiles.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Ukraine had been “pretty clear” about what it needed: “Three hundred Patriot missiles from partner stocks, 500 air-to-air interceptors with counter-cruise missile capability, $2bn for drones,” and continued contributions to other schemes.
The UK did not say how many Patriots the £100m would be able to buy. At an estimated $3 million per interceptor, the funding would cover only a fraction of the 300 missiles requested.
In his opening remarks, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius pledged that Berlin would donate a number of older Patriot Pac-2 interceptors from army stocks and urged other allies to follow suit.
Ukraine is currently unable to prevent Russian ballistic missile attacks because of a shortage of Patriot interceptors, a shortfall that has killed civilians and destroyed food and logistics warehouses over the summer. Ukraine’s newly appointed defence minister, Yehven Khamarra, acknowledged that his country’s “situation with ballistics is much more difficult” and was “precisely down to a lack of Patriot missiles,” adding that the shortfall was a situation the Kremlin was aware of and trying to exploit.
Khamarra also said Ukraine faced a €23 billion defence budget gap this year, with Kyiv hoping the EU would bring forward part of a €90 billion two-year loan so that its drone investment programme could continue uninterrupted.
Civilian casualties in Ukraine have reached their highest level since May 2022 amid near-constant attacks on Ukrainian cities, according to the Guardian’s report. The escalation comes as Ukraine has also escalated its long-range campaign against Russian oil refineries and warehouses.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv on Sunday for the first time to discuss peace proposals, though no breakthrough was made. A day earlier they had visited the Kremlin, which is pressing for Ukraine to give up territory and make a string of concessions to end the war.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to Trump on Monday, with the two agreeing on the need to “continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life.”