Ukraine hunts expiring Patriot missiles as Russian air attacks strain defenses

Ukraine has identified additional air defense systems and interceptor missiles through cooperation with other countries, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told journalists on June 10.

Tykhyi said air defense remains a priority in all talks involving Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

“Ukraine has managed to find a number of additional assets — both systems and interceptors — through cooperation with a number of countries. That is, certain additional assets have been found that require funding, and Ukraine is actively working to find that funding, and some of it has already been found,” Tykhyi said.

He said Ukraine had found interceptor missiles nearing the end of their service life and is now in active talks to obtain them. Tykhyi said the missiles are PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot systems.

“What is the point of keeping missiles after their service life expires? They have to be returned to the manufacturer for disposal or handed over to Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

In late May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent an urgent letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress warning of a critical shortage of air defense systems in Ukraine. Zelenskyy later told journalists that he had asked Trump for a license to produce Patriot antiballistic missiles.

On June 3, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had reached an agreement at the highest political level to buy Patriot air defense systems, but that the agreement was still awaiting implementation. He set a one-week deadline to prepare Patriot contracts and warned of “personnel decisions” if it is missed.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi has also acknowledged a shortage of modern air defense systems and missiles for them, calling for careful use of available resources.