Newsweek
Ukraine has received almost all of the advanced, U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems pledged by NATO last year, the alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
Kyiv’s ability to defend key targets and cities hinges on supplies of air defense systems. They have consistently featured at the top of Ukraine’s wish list of military aid from its backers, with its stocks dwindling in the face of relentless Russian aerial attacks.
A Ukrainian source with knowledge of the matter told Newsweek that the brief pause of U.S. military aid en route to Ukraine, enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump last month, significantly impacted stocks of Patriot missiles fired by systems working nonstop. There were deep concerns at the time that the Patriot systems could stop functioning in as little as a month after the block was imposed, before it was lifted later in March.
The Patriot air defense system is considered the gold standard of ground-based air defense, credited with intercepting Russia’s raft of next-generation weapons, including hypersonic missiles fired at Ukraine.
Ukraine’s then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba memorably said in March 2024: “Give us the damn Patriots.” But Ukraine’s supporters in Europe have looked with concern at their own air defense supplies.
