BELGRADE — Ukraine has reached an agreement with the United States for monthly deliveries of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday. However, he said the agreed quantities are not sufficient to meet Ukraine’s air defense requirements.
Zelenskyy made the comments during a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade.
“Who has the anti-missiles and systems? Primarily the manufacturer – the United States of America,” Zelenskyy said. “Can they help? We are working on it. Will they supply us with missiles every month? Yes, we have agreements. Are these missiles enough? No.”
2026 Deliveries Below Previous Levels
Zelenskyy said the volume of Patriot interceptors expected in 2026 is significantly lower than the amount Ukraine received in 2025. He did not provide exact figures for the monthly deliveries.
The shortage comes as Ukraine continues to face Russian missile and drone attacks. Zelenskyy said earlier this week that allied deliveries of air defense missiles during the first half of 2026 were about one-third of the level recorded in 2025.
Patriot systems are particularly important to Ukraine's air defense because they are used against ballistic missile threats.
Ukraine Seeks Additional European Support
With US deliveries falling short of Ukraine's requirements, Kyiv is continuing negotiations with European and other international partners for additional interceptors.
Zelenskyy identified Germany and Poland as countries that could provide significant assistance. He also said the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries were contributing smaller quantities from their available stocks.
Ukraine has also explored possible assistance from Japan and South Korea. However, Zelenskyy said legal restrictions in those countries prevent them from directly supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine.
An option to purchase equipment from Israel was also considered, but Zelenskyy said that arrangement is currently unavailable.
Patriot Production Talks Face Delays
Ukraine is also seeking a longer-term solution through joint or domestic production of Patriot interceptors.
US officials have said that advanced PAC-3 interceptors remain under strict export controls and that American manufacturers are currently the only companies permitted to produce the missiles.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said earlier in August that Washington would not enter into a long-term agreement for joint Patriot production with Ukraine before winter.
The position followed earlier comments by US President Donald Trump in July suggesting that Ukraine could potentially receive a license to manufacture Patriot missiles. Trump later expressed concerns about transferring sensitive defense technology.
According to Reuters, discussions over possible production arrangements have continued, including a proposal under which Ukraine could manufacture some Patriot missile components while final assembly would take place in Germany.
US Production Expansion
The United States is also working to increase Patriot interceptor production. Existing production capacity, however, cannot immediately eliminate the shortage faced by Ukraine.
For Kyiv, the immediate priority remains obtaining additional interceptors from US and allied stocks while longer-term production plans are considered.
Zelenskyy's latest comments underline Ukraine's continued effort to secure sufficient air defense missiles ahead of the coming winter, when Kyiv expects Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure to remain a major concern.
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