The leader of Ukraine on the social network “X” reported after the Russian missile attack on the Kyiv region that 17 people were killed and added that missile defense systems could have saved lives.
“It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying or unwillingness to supply missile defense systems directly results in such terrible casualties and destruction.”
In other posts published on Wednesday, V. Zelensky indicated that the number of air defense missiles supplied by partners “has decreased threefold compared to 2025.” The Ukrainian leader also added that Moscow aims to significantly increase missile production before winter.
Speaking at a National Security and Defense Council meeting dedicated to discussing the country’s resilience for winter, V. Zelensky did not rule out the idea that Western allies’ delays in supplying missiles “are intended, so to speak, to force Ukraine to make more compromises” in peace negotiations with Russia.
In turn, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that the Alliance is striving to provide Ukraine with “urgently needed” air defense.
Earlier, after a meeting with the NATO leader, V. Zelensky stressed: “It is important to remove all bureaucracy and make the necessary political decisions. In fact, every day, people’s lives here in Ukraine depend on the determination of our partners in Europe and the United States.”
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an advisor to the Ukrainian president on defense technology development, calculated that Russia can launch 100 ballistic missiles per month to attack logistics centers, industrial facilities, food stores, and warehouses.
“The war of attrition has entered another stage,” he emphasized in his post on the Telegram platform.
Europe said “no”
European governments are reluctant to transfer additional missiles to Ukraine for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, fearing that this will weaken their own defense capabilities, notes The Washington Post.
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According to the article, earlier this year, the administration of US President Donald Trump urged several European countries to transfer their missiles to Kyiv, but some refused due to the mentioned concerns.
Ukraine relies on Patriot missile defense systems as the only means to repel Russian ballistic strikes. Until recently, it was possible to intercept a significant number of Russian ballistic missiles. However, these systems are severely lacking missiles – partly because a large portion was used during the US war against Iran.
The production of US-made systems and other air defense means does not keep pace with the tempo of global conflicts, noted NATO representatives interviewed by the newspaper.
It seems that a few days ago, D. Trump also canceled a verbal agreement previously reached with Ukrainian President V. Zelensky regarding the transfer of a license for missile interceptor production to Ukraine.
“The situation is really bad,” a high-ranking Ukrainian official who wished to remain anonymous told the newspaper.
The official also predicted the “worst-case scenario” by winter. According to him, there are no missile interceptors, and he does not believe a large quantity will be found soon.
“This is important, and even if we had specific numbers, it would not be enough because Russia has many more ballistic missiles,” the newspaper’s source worried.
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