Ukraine received only 24 Patriot interceptors from US in three months, Zelensky says

Ukraine received just 24 Patriot surface-to-air interceptors from the United States over the past three months, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News, against a monthly requirement of approximately 350 missiles to defend against Russian ballistic strikes.

Russian forces launched more than 20 ballistic missiles against Ukrainian territory in strikes on 22 October alone, Zelensky said, underscoring the gap between incoming fire and available interceptors.

To illustrate the disparity in Western munitions transfers, Zelensky pointed to a separate theatre of conflict: during the first 84 hours of armed escalation in the Middle East, allied forces expended roughly 2,000 partner-supplied interceptors.

"Over the last 90 days, I have received 24 missiles from our strategic partner," Zelensky said. "We don't cry, and we don't scream, but this is very important. Every missile matters."

Zelensky also drew a direct comparison: "In the first 84 hours, they launched about 2,000 missiles received from partners," pointing to the disparity in munition transfers to Ukraine versus other theatres.

Ukrainian defence officials have raised concern over the allocation of US-manufactured Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors to Middle Eastern operational theatres, which has affected deliveries coordinated through NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List programme.

On 16 October, Zelensky addressed the European Council in Brussels, requesting a winter air defence package of 300 Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors. He described deliveries of two to four missiles every few months as insufficient to counter coordinated strike waves.

The president outlined a plan under which transfers from European nations holding Patriot inventories — including Greece, Spain and Germany — would bridge the gap until bilateral German procurement contracts and the ten-nation FREYJA anti-ballistic project become operational.