Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pressing the United States to provide additional Patriot interceptor missiles as Ukraine’s stocks decline and Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities continue.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Zelensky described the shortage of interceptors as “one of the biggest challenges” Ukraine has faced since the beginning of the war.
He said he was holding daily calls and discussions aimed at securing additional air defense systems and missiles, although some of the agreements under discussion could not yet be made public.
According to CNN, the U.S. war with Iran has also affected American interceptor stocks, with dozens of missiles reportedly used to counter Iranian missile and drone attacks.
A White House official said the U.S. administration was exploring several options for future defense-industrial cooperation with Ukraine, while emphasizing that the discussions remained at an exploratory stage.
Zelensky said Kyiv continued to hope that Washington would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles domestically. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously raised the possibility during the NATO summit in Ankara.
The Ukrainian president acknowledged, however, that Kyiv had not yet received a final confirmation on the proposal.
Alongside his requests for additional air defense capabilities, Zelensky said Ukraine had submitted new proposals for the peace process led by Trump. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of refusing to end the war and argued that Moscow was still not facing sufficient pressure to accept a settlement.
Zelensky also rejected the possibility of Ukraine giving up the territories it still controls in the Donbas, insisting that credible security guarantees would be essential to prevent another Russian offensive in the future.
The growing pressure on Ukraine’s air defense comes as Russian attacks continue to place heavy demands on interceptor stocks, making additional Western support a critical issue for Kyiv’s ability to protect its cities and critical infrastructure.
