Ukraine can boost air defense effectiveness with more investment, Patriot missiles – Zelenskyy

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine could significantly improve the effectiveness of its air defense if it secured sufficient investment in its defense industry and adequate supplies of missiles for U.S.-made Patriot systems.

"There are hardly any nights in Ukraine without Russian Shahed attacks. Sometimes there are hundreds of combat drones and dozens of missiles in a single night. But the interception rate is around 87%. This figure would be even higher if we had sufficient investment in our defense production, as well as enough missiles to counter ballistic threats," Zelenskyy said in an address to the UK Parliament on Tuesday.

He said "these are our two main shortages – funding and Patriot missiles."

"That is why we are working to engage our partners in production and to help Europe build all the air defense it needs," the president said.

Zelenskyy also outlined developments in Ukraine's defense industry, noting that "we have joint projects with the United Kingdom."

"Artificial intelligence is already embedded in many of the systems we use every day. Soon, almost everything will be powered by it, including weapons – which will become even more lethal, as they will act faster than any human. By building protection against modern weapons and investing in the development of our security system, we are also preparing for the weapons of the future. Perhaps in doing so, we are preventing the emergence of new threats," he said.