Netherlands has no additional Patriot missiles for Ukraine - MoD
Photo: The Netherlands has exhausted its stockpile of Patriot missiles (twitter.com/oleksiireznikov)
The Netherlands currently lacks the capacity to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot interceptor missiles from its existing stockpiles, according to Dutch Defense Ministry spokesperson Kees Bakhius, Radio Svoboda reports.
What the Dutch Defense Ministry said
The Dutch Defense Ministry stressed that Amsterdam has already exhausted its capacity to supply additional Patriot interceptor missiles directly from its own stockpiles, but is exploring other ways to support Ukraine.
Bakhius said that the Netherlands had already delivered missiles for Patriot systems and currently has no capacity to provide additional missiles from its existing stockpiles. However, he added that the country remained open to considering any options that could help Ukraine protect its skies and its people.
The spokesperson emphasized that air defense remains one of the top priorities of Dutch military assistance.
He also noted that the Netherlands has committed to providing Ukraine with €3 billion annually, a pledge that is guaranteed at least through 2029.
Air defense missile shortage
The issue of additional missiles became particularly urgent following Russia's massive overnight attack on August 5, when Russian forces launched 28 missiles and more than 100 drones at Ukraine.
Amid a shortage of air defense interceptors, Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down most of the drones, but none of the missiles were intercepted.
In response to the shortage, Ukraine has launched several initiatives:
- Appeals to partners: Ukraine has sent requests to nearly 40 countries asking them to temporarily provide Patriot missiles from their stockpiles, with guarantees that the missiles would be replaced by newly produced interceptors in future deliveries.
- Joint production: The United States and NATO allies are considering localizing interceptor missile production in Ukraine, while also searching for surplus missiles among partner countries to meet the needs of the Ukrainian military.
Reduced air defense missile deliveries
Supplies intended to protect Ukraine's skies have declined significantly. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that deliveries of missiles for air defense systems had fallen to one-third of their 2025 levels, despite partner countries having the necessary stockpiles.
The president also suggested that the shortage of munitions could be linked to attempts by Western countries to make Ukraine more accommodating, although partners officially cite the need to allocate missiles to other military conflicts around the world.
At the same time, the European Union insists that it remains committed to supporting Ukraine and is working to secure additional interceptor missile supplies.
