Ukraine urgently appeals to nearly 40 allies for Patriot interceptors

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has appealed to nearly 40 partner countries to urgently transfer Patriot missiles from their stockpiles in July in exchange for future deliveries already contracted for Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on July 2.

The appeal comes after Russia launched one of its largest-ever aerial assaults against Kyiv overnight on July 2, killing at least 22 people and overwhelming Ukraine's air defenses with dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles alongside hundreds of drones.

According to the Defense Ministry, Ukraine has already signed contracts for hundreds of PAC-2 Patriot missiles with German support, but deliveries are not expected to begin until the coming years.

Kyiv has also taken "a step" toward purchasing around 100 additional Patriot missiles through a 1 billion euro loan backed by the European Union, while European partners have begun transferring missiles from their own stockpiles for the first time this year, according to the ministry.

The Defense Ministry added that Ukraine has more than doubled the effectiveness of Patriot systems against maneuvering Russian Iskander missiles by implementing NATO's After Action Review standard.

"However, this is not enough. Ukraine critically needs additional Patriot missiles, which are available in partners' stockpiles," the ministry said, adding that protecting Ukraine's skies depends on swift decisions — including expanding the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-coordinated mechanism for purchasing U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine, and procuring missiles through JUMPSTART, a U.S. program that speeds up delivery of PAC-3 missiles.

Fedorov also called on partner countries to contribute to the PURL and JUMPSTART initiatives, which the ministry described as the fastest and most reliable mechanisms for supplying Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

In his evening address on July 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that the most effective and sustainable way for Ukraine to defend itself against Russian ballistic threats is to produce its own Patriot interceptors.

"We have been discussing licenses for the production of Patriots with the U.S. administration for a long time already," Zelensky said. "I want to thank all the countries helping through the PURL program, which enables us to purchase interceptors, specifically for Patriots. However, to reliably protect lives, we need our own production."

Zelensky has long lobbied for licenses to produce Western weapons in Ukraine, including Patriots. Following the G7 summit in France, Zelensky said on June 21 that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to ask American defense firms to grant Patriot production licenses to Ukraine.

Such an arrangement would benefit European security, as well as U.S. interests, the president said in his evening address.

"European production here in Ukraine, or jointly with our partners, would, of course, also support the U.S. in operations whenever needed. We hope for a positive response from President Trump to protect lives," Zelensky said.

Speaking at the site of a Russian strike in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district earlier in the day, Zelensky said delayed military aid had cost Ukrainian lives.

"If our partners had delivered what they promised on time, I think we could have saved more homes and, frankly, more lives," Zelensky said.

The president said Ukraine would need at least 140 Patriot missiles to intercept an attack involving around 70 ballistic missiles.

"We are fighting on our own. The casualties are exclusively Ukrainian. We simply need our partners to do what they agreed to do. We're not even asking for more," he added.

Patriot is the only air defense system in Ukraine's arsenal capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Ukraine operates only a limited number of Patriot batteries and has repeatedly warned that shortages of interceptor missiles leave cities vulnerable during large-scale Russian attacks involving ballistic missiles.

Russia has intensified such attacks in recent months, frequently combining ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and large numbers of long-range strike drones in an effort to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses.