Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking the U.S. for 10% of its Patriot interceptor missiles in an interview with CNNi, stating that with this equipment, Ukraine could destroy “all of Russia’s ballistic missiles.”
Kyiv has only one-tenth of the interceptor missiles it needs to “put a stop” to ballistic missile attacks, the Ukrainian president stated, adding bitterly that he is making “millions” of phone calls, striking opaque deals with his allies to request greater support.
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“This year, Ukraine has two and a half times fewer interceptor missiles than it did in 2025,” while “Russia has twice as many missiles each month as it did before,” the Ukrainian president told CNN.
“This year, I am asking our American partners to sell us 5% of the interceptor missiles they have in stock. If they sell us 5%, we’ll get through the winter and save lives,” Mr. Zelenskyy added, noting that his country has currently received 1%.
“If they can sell us 10%, we’ll destroy all the Russian ballistic missiles,” he said, adding that “to get from 1% to 5% will take me months, millions of phone calls, and many other things.”
“I’m doing things I can’t even talk about. That doesn’t mean they’re illegal. But I can’t talk about them,” he commented.
At the same time, he called for “greater involvement by the American side in the peace plan. I am grateful to President Trump’s team for wanting to continue the plan. Putin doesn’t want to end this war right now, and he isn’t facing enough pressure.”
Severe Shortage of Patriot Systems
It should be noted, however, that due to the U.S. war with Iran, stockpiles of key air defense systems have been dramatically reduced. As revealed in a CNN report, the U.S. military has depleted 80% of its interceptor systems, a vital anti-missile system.
According to CNNi, the U.S. military has used nearly 4/5 of its THAAD missile stockpile compared to the number it had before the war, and about half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war. These figures were revealed in the latest inventory report.
Source: cnn.gr
