Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called on partner countries to increase military aid to Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian Defense Minister has already sent letters to nearly 40 partner countries requesting that they immediately transfer Patriot missiles from their existing stockpiles to Ukraine this month – in exchange for future deliveries contracted for Ukraine. He has also called on them to contribute to the PURL and JUMPSTART mechanisms. These are the fastest and most reliable ways to supply the necessary missiles for the Patriot system. It is critically important to make a decision on the eve of the NATO summit," Fedorov said on his Telegram channel.
As the minister recalled, to provide the country with anti-ballistic missiles, in April the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense signed a record-breaking contract for hundreds of PAC-2 missiles for the Patriot system, with Germany's support. Deliveries will begin over the next few years.
A first step has also been taken toward purchasing about a hundred missiles for the Patriot system for $1 billion using an EU loan. This year, Ukraine also began receiving missiles from the stockpiles of its European partners for the first time.
Furthermore, thanks to the implementation of the NATO After Action Review standard, the effectiveness of the Patriot system against maneuverable Iskander missiles has already more than doubled.
"However, this is not enough – Ukraine critically needs additional missiles for its Patriot systems. They are in our partners' stockpiles. And the defense of Ukraine's airspace depends precisely on swift decisions, scaling up the PURL mechanism, and procuring missiles through JUMPSTART," Fedorov said.
He emphasized that overnight, the enemy carried out one of the largest attacks on Ukraine: nearly 500 attack drones and 77 missiles, 25 of which were ballistic or hypersonic missiles.
"Thanks to the professionalism of our soldiers and support from our partners, we managed to intercept more than 90% of the cruise missiles and 90% of the Shahed-type attack drones. We thank the air defense forces who protect the Ukrainian sky day and night. At the same time, shooting down ballistic missiles remains a key challenge due to a shortage of missiles for the Patriot systems," he explained.
