WASHINGTON — Ukraine has exhausted its supply of interceptors for its US-made Patriot air defense systems, creating a dangerous vulnerability as Russia continues launching devastating ballistic missile attacks, according to a report.
Patriot interceptors are Ukraine’s main defense against Russian ballistic missiles, which are approximately the size of a large tractor-trailer.
The United States and its European allies have faced shortages of Patriot interceptors for months after prolonged conflicts involving Ukraine, Israel and the Persian Gulf.
“Almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles,” a source familiar with the shortage told CNN.
In that series of attacks, Russia struck a Ukrainian power plant and killed four people in Kyiv, despite President Trump’s announcement of an energy cease-fire between the two countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly appealed for the licenses needed to produce Patriot interceptors domestically.
Zelensky said last month that Trump had approved Ukraine’s request to obtain those licenses. Trump, however, remained noncommittal about the claim, and CNN reported that the licensing agreement does not appear to have been finalized.
Ukraine is widely viewed as having matched or even surpassed Russia in drone warfare, but it has struggled to protect itself from the Kremlin’s ballistic missile strikes.
The latest shortage is likely not the first time Ukraine has been believed to run out of Patriot interceptors during the war.
Patriot missiles are considered part of America’s “exquisite munition” arsenal and can take roughly two years to manufacture, although the Trump administration is working to accelerate production.
SEE ALSO: New Jersey Teen Stalker Indicted in Killing of Two 17-Year-Old Girls on E-Bikes
While the US and Europe are running short of Patriot interceptors, several allies, including South Korea, maintain stockpiles of other missile-defense systems.
Relations between Seoul and Kyiv have deteriorated in recent weeks.
Zelensky met with the UK prime minister this week, after which London agreed to provide Ukraine with additional long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles for strikes against targets in Russia, Bloomberg reported.
At the same time, tensions between Zelensky and Trump have intensified following the president’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia that enraged Zelensky, who described it as a “betrayal.” Trump later called for Ukraine to replace Zelensky as its leader.
On Wednesday, Ukraine said its access to Starshield, a military-focused offshoot of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet network, had been restricted for drones traveling at high speeds. Kyiv said the disruption derailed several planned attacks on Russian forces.
Musk and the Trump administration blamed each other for the throttling, but Ukraine later said its access had been restored.
Ukraine also said the US failed to warn it about Russian ballistic missile attacks, despite having provided such alerts repeatedly in the past.
“If you’re in the middle, you have to stay in the middle, not on the wrong side,” Zelensky said during an appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” criticizing Trump.
“I think Trump’s advisers are wrong. I don’t know who is pushing him to the wrong side. This is not the right side of history.”
