5% of US Interceptors Could Help Ukraine Survive Russia’s Winter Missile Campaign — UNITED24 Media
Receiving 5% of the US stockpile of interceptor missiles would help Ukraine get through the winter and save lives, while securing 10% would provide enough capacity to effectively counter Russia’s ballistic missile attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on August 13.
Russian ballistic missile attacks have intensified in recent weeks, with Kyiv among the areas hit particularly heavily, while Ukraine’s stocks of Patriot interceptors have been reduced to critically low levels.
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Zelenskyy said that securing 5% of the US interceptor stockpile would be enough for Ukraine to make it through the winter, while obtaining 10% would provide sufficient capacity to counter all Russian ballistic missile attacks.
According to the United Nations, July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022. Zelenskyy said repeated nightly attacks and several large-scale strikes each month are placing additional pressure on civilians.
“This year we have two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025. Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before., the President stated. “Each night you have attacks, and four or five times per month we have massive attacks… terrible nights. Very heroic, very resilient people really. But they (are) tired.”
He said that obtaining 5% of the US stockpile would allow Ukraine to get through the winter and protect lives, while 10% would be enough to intercept all Russian ballistic missiles. However, Zelenskyy said Ukraine currently has access to only 1%.
Zelenskyy also described his ongoing efforts to secure additional air-defense interceptors, saying negotiations with allies had become a central part of his daily work.
“This is what I live each day: from 1% to 5%. I have some months, and million phone calls… I try to exchange something to missiles … I do some things which I can’t even share. It doesn’t mean that it’s outside of the law. But I can’t speak about it,” the President said.
He also expressed uncertainty over plans for Ukraine to eventually produce its own Patriot interceptor missiles, despite an apparent commitment from US President Donald Trump to support the initiative.
“I hope that I will get it. I don’t have now 5% and I don’t have such an acceptance. And this is for me is a big challenge, one of the biggest I had from the very beginning of this war,” Zelenskyy added.
Several days earlier, the President announced that Ukraine could begin domestic production of Patriot air-defense systems and components within a year. However, reaching full-scale production could take several years because of licensing requirements, technology transfers, and dependence on international supply chains.
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