Slammed by Russian missiles, Ukraine seeks more U.S. air defense systems

Kyiv — Ukraine is increasingly worried about securing more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, as stockpiles sent during the Biden administration are drying up and the new administration is resistant to sending more, according to six Ukrainian and Western officials. While Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and cruise missiles, it is the ballistic missiles that are the most feared, and they can only be reliably countered by Patriot missiles. Ballistic missiles travel several miles per second and they obliterated half of Ukraine's power capacity in strikes on power plants in 2023 and 2024. Their speed and size, plus the fact that they are difficult to intercept, have made ballistic missiles one of the most effective weapons in Russia's arsenal, particularly against infrastructure. Ukraine's dire need for Patriots was apparent over Memorial Day weekend when its air defense forces failed to intercept any of the nine ballistic missiles launched Saturday night and early on Sunday. Two of the missiles were directed at Kyiv, according to Ukraine's air defense forces, where at least two Patriot units are believed to be stationed. In addition to the ballistic missiles, Russia fired over 900 drones and 65 cruise missiles over the weekend in some of the biggest strikes of the war and a sign that Russia is ramping up attacks after a relative decrease over May. The vast majority of the non-ballistics airstrikes were intercepted or were lost in action, Ukraine's air defense forces reported. President Donald Trump condemned Russia over the attacks late Sunday but did not make any promises of additional military aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin "has gone absolutely CRAZY!" he wrote on Truth Social. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, described the comments as "connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved." The main additional military aid Ukraine has requested from the Trump administration is more Patriot missiles and launchers, "which, frankly, we don't have," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Rubio said the United States is instead "encouraging" its NATO allies to donate Patriot missiles and systems from their stockpiles. But, he added, "none of these countries want to give up their Patriot systems, either." A European diplomat in Kyiv said that U.S. manufacturer Raytheon is still expanding its production lines to meet post-2022 demand. "The U.S. needs to keep a certain amount for its own defense, in case of an attack from Iran or another adversary," the diplomat said. Like the other officials and diplomats interviewed, he spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, however, believe that the Trump administration would be willing to sell the country more Patriots rather than send them as aid, as the previous administration did. A senior Ukrainian official said he does not expect Washington to block the sale of future air defense systems to Ukraine, but understands the White House "will not give it away for free." "They think like businesspeople. If I give you something, you have to give me something in return," he said. "We have to adapt to this." Spokespeople for the Pentagon and the National Security Council did not return a request for comment to discuss U.S. security assistance for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's allies continue to prove their support. North Korea has supplied the Kremlin with around 250 ballistic missiles since last autumn, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Reports from Ukrainian air defense indicate Russia used North Korean KN-23 missiles in six out of nine ballistic attacks on Ukraine in May — including in the massive Sunday attack, according to Ukraine's air defense forces. The Trump administration allowed Germany to re-export Patriot materials to Kyiv after Ukraine signed the minerals deal in April — the U.S. retains veto power on the resale of any of its military equipment. In recent weeks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that his country would give Patriot missiles to Ukraine along with four IRIS-T systems, a short-to-medium-range weapon that is effective against cruise missiles but not ballistic missiles. But Berlin plans to send to Ukraine its older PAC-2 Patriot missiles, which, unlike the newer PAC-3 missiles, are not as effective at intercepting ballistic missiles, the European diplomat said. The only other existing system that may be capable of shooting down a ballistic is the Aster, a European missile, though that has not been proved, he added. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official who is not allowed to speak publicly said that even the PAC-3 missiles cannot intercept the Oreshnik, Russia's new intermediate ballistic missile, unveiled with great fanfare in November. While Ukraine can use its own domestically developed air defenses and European aid to counter drones and cruise missiles, it still needs the Patriot missiles and systems to intercept ballistic missiles, said the senior Ukrainian intelligence official. Already in 2025, dozens of civilians have been killed in Russian ballistic missile attacks. On Palm Sunday in mid-April, 35 civilians were killed and 113 injured in a strike on the northeastern city of Sumy. That attack came a little over a week after 20 people, including nine children, were killed and 75 injured when a ballistic missile hit a playground in the southern city of Kryvyi Rih. Authorities say both attacks involved Russian Iskander missiles. The intelligence official said that because of the speed and size of ballistic warheads, having enough Patriots is a question of "human life." Some in the U.S. administration understand, the official said, but some do not, that "each Iskander can kill hundreds of people." For other countries, donating Patriot missiles or systems to Ukraine is a big ask, the official added, because they are expensive and an important part of each country's national security apparatus. "They should compare the pluses of supporting Ukraine and weakening themselves," the official said. "We are closely working with Americans. We are very thankful to them for this system, but it's very far from enough, really very far." NATO allies have been in talks for weeks about finding another Patriot system for Ukraine, potentially from somewhere in Europe, but there has been no breakthrough, according to three European officials. "There are discussions like 'we can give this one up, but then we want a new one for a cheaper price,'" one of the officials said, describing talks to obtain new systems from the U.S. at a future date in exchange for giving one to Ukraine now. The question of air defenses is to be discussed when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits NATO headquarters for a meeting in early June, this official said, adding that an announcement could come around then of a Patriot pledge to Ukraine, but not from the United States. The Trump administration appears loath to make big announcements on weapons deliveries to Kyiv, believing that could derail negotiations, he added. "They seem to think now if we have a huge announcement of giving Patriot missiles to Ukraine, that's not something they want because it will make Putin very angry," the official said. "They would be very concerned about this kind of jeopardizing any potential peace talks.''