Zelenskyy warns of possible delays in Patriot missile deliveries and names cause
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Missile deliveries for Patriot air defense systems may slow down in the near future, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a doorstep briefing with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
According to the President, the risk of delays in supplying missiles to Ukraine’s air defense systems, including PAC-3, exists due to the situation in the Middle East.
"I'm afraid they can give us slowly these missiles, even using European money," Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that Kyiv is already working with partners, including countries in the Middle East and Europe, to find alternative supply sources and strengthen the protection of Ukrainian skies.
#Zelenskyy warns of possible delays in Patriot missile deliveries pic.twitter.com/8LJBNoWQbg
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) April 14, 2026
Patriot missile shortage
At the start of the conflict in the Middle East, Israel and its allies used about 800 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian targets. By comparison, Ukraine has received around 600 such missiles throughout the full-scale war.
As a result, the Pentagon has already asked the White House to approve a request to Congress for more than $200 billion to fund the war against Iran. This highlights the scale of US needs and the rapid rise in the cost of the campaign.
According to estimates, in the first 12 days of the operation in Iran, the United States depleted stockpiles of precision weapons that had been accumulated over the years. Replenishing them will take several years.
On April 14, Ukraine and Germany agreed on a large-scale €4 billion cooperation package. It includes the delivery of several hundred Patriot missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Pentagon signed its largest $4.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to accelerate the production of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
