Europe hesitates to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Some European countries are refusing to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles to Kyiv because they fear doing so would significantly weaken their own air defenses, The Washington Post reported on May 11, citing sources.

The newspaper said Ukraine has nearly exhausted its supply of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot batteries, leaving only a few missiles that have been spread around the country. Two sources familiar with the talks told The Post that earlier in 2026 the Trump administration urged several European countries to hand over their Patriot stocks, but some declined for fear of undermining their own defenses.

“But European officials are growing concerned that U.S. weapons shortages, which are already impacting their own orders, could also lead to delays for Ukraine.”

“The Trump administration has not diverted equipment pledged to Ukraine since launching the attack on Iran, officials said,” WaPo writes.

Several U.S.-supplied pieces of military equipment delivered under PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) program do not meet the highest technical requirements Kyiv has sought, the report said. NATO officials told the newspaper that Ukraine receives most of its Patriot missiles, including valuable PAC-3 interceptors, as well as ammunition for other air-defense systems, through PURL.

“The sense of distrust around PURL has grown as participant countries have raised questions about how the Pentagon is using some of the funds,” the report continues.

“The Washington Post reported in March that the Pentagon had notified Congress it planned to use $750 million provided through PURL to restock U.S. inventories.”

“Officials on both sides of the Atlantic questioned whether using the money this way violated the expectations of the Europeans that all their funds would go to Kyiv.”