Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he asked President Donald Trump for an emergency winter package of Patriot air defense interceptors to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy told Axios that Trump pledged to help secure more Patriot air defense systems but warned supplies are limited due to the war with Iran. Trump also agreed to move forward with Patriot production licenses, though Zelensky stressed Ukraine needs the interceptors immediately and is seeking 300 Patriot systems by winter.
Notably, even if Ukraine secures the licenses, it could take one to five years before it can produce interceptors at scale.
After visiting the White House, Zelenskyy said he met with representatives from Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT) and RTX Corp. (RTX) to discuss Patriot interceptor production.
Ukrainian President also said that Ukraine and U.S. defense companies are exploring converting Ukrainian-made ballistic missiles into anti-missile interceptors with capabilities similar to the Patriot air defense system.
Zelenskyy told the publication that Russia launches 30–40 ballistic missiles in each major attack and carries out three to five such strikes monthly. He warned Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stockpiles are nearly exhausted and offered to share military technology with the U.S. in exchange for more missiles, cautioning that without them Russia could destroy power plants this winter, triggering a humanitarian crisis.
