Ukraine currently has only 1% of the required stockpile of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. Purchasing 5% of the US stockpile would help Ukraine get through the winter, while 10% would make it possible to fully intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with CNN.
This year, Ukraine has two and a half times fewer interceptor missiles than it had in 2025. At the same time, Russia, according to him, is using twice as many ballistic missiles per month as before.
“If the US sells us 5%, we will get through the winter and save people’s lives. If they can sell us 10%, we will destroy all Russian ballistic missiles. I have 1%,” Zelenskyy said.
He also said that every day he is trying to secure additional interceptor missiles.
“This is what I live with every day: from 1% to 5%. I have a few months and a million phone calls. I am trying to exchange something for missiles. I do some things that I cannot even talk about. It does not mean they are outside the law. But I cannot talk about it,” the president said.
Zelenskyy also said there is still no final clarity regarding the possibility of Ukraine producing its own Patriot interceptor missiles under a US license.
According to him, US President Donald Trump said during the NATO summit in Ankara that he would allow Ukraine to obtain a license to manufacture such missiles, but a few days later expressed uncertainty about the idea. Representatives of Patriot system manufacturers have already visited Kyiv to discuss the issue, but there has been no result so far.
“I hope that I will get it. Right now, I do not have 5% and I do not have such approval. For me, this is a major challenge, one of the biggest since the very beginning of this war,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that he is appealing directly to the White House — through calls and messages, as well as through allies — in an effort to increase supplies of Patriot missiles.
Speaking about the peace process, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had submitted new proposals but did not disclose details.
“We need greater involvement from the American side in the peace plan. I am grateful to President Trump’s team that they want to continue. Putin does not want to stop this war now, and there is not enough pressure on him,” the president said.
He also rejected the possibility of Ukraine giving up the remaining territories of Donbas that Russia seeks to capture, stressing the importance of security guarantees.
