Zelensky urges allies to provide 300 Patriot missiles ahead of winter
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President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a winter air defense package of 300 Patriot interceptor missiles during a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on July 13.
According to Zelensky, the package would ideally amount to 100 Patriot missiles per month throughout the winter.
"If we have sufficient protection for the winter, Russia will have significantly fewer reasons to drag the war out until winter," he said.
"We've calculated that this package should include 100 Patriot missiles per month—300 missiles for the winter," Zelensky added.
He described the proposal as one of the key ways to strengthen Ukraine's overall position as Russia continues and intensifies its aerial attacks, especially against Kyiv in recent days.
Kyiv's stocks of munitions for U.S.-made Patriot systems — the only air defense system capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles — has run dry, leaving civilian neighborhoods and critical infrastructure vulnerable amid an onslaught of devastating Russian strikes.
Earlier on July 13, Ukraine and nine European partners launched the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition to strengthen Europe's missile defense capabilities and support the development of Ukraine's domestically produced Freya air defense system.
The initiative was announced during the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, where leaders also discussed addressing Ukraine's urgent air defense needs through additional Patriot interceptors and European-developed alternatives.
