NATO is working to provide Ukraine with air defense systems - Rutte
Kyiv • UNN
Rutte said that work is underway to supply Ukraine with air defense systems after Kyiv failed to shoot down any Russian ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy warned of increased missile production in the Russian Federation and reduced deliveries from allies.
NATO is working on how to provide Ukraine with the air defense systems it "urgently needs," Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte said, UNN reports.
I spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the latest horrific Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. I am discussing with the allies how we can continue supplying Ukraine with the air defense systems it urgently needs
As The Guardian notes, the statement came after Ukraine failed to shoot down a single Russian missile during Russia's attack on Wednesday, amid President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning that Moscow seeks to significantly increase missile production before winter.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said that in the first half of 2026, deliveries of air defense missiles from Ukraine's allies had fallen by one-third from the 2025 level.
After speaking with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Zelenskyy said: "It is important to eliminate all bureaucracy and adopt the necessary political decisions. Literally every day, people's lives here in Ukraine depend on the determination of our partners in Europe and America."
Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to the President of Ukraine on the development of defense technologies, estimated that Russia is capable of launching 100 ballistic missiles per month in attacks on logistics hubs, industrial facilities, grocery stores, and warehouses. "The war of attrition has entered its next phase," he wrote on Telegram.
The shortage of interceptor missiles has worsened as a result of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, which consumed a large number of Patriot and other missiles. An Associated Press analysis showed that U.S. Patriot stocks have declined by at least 65% from prewar levels. The Pentagon claims it has a large supply arsenal.
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Production cannot immediately fill this gap. Lockheed Martin delivered more than 600 interceptors of the latest model in 2025 and is working toward reaching an annual capacity of 2,000 by the end of 2030. However, according to some estimates, the Persian Gulf countries together launched more than 1,100 interceptors during the first three months of the war with Iran.
NATO reports that Europe's first Patriot missile production plant is expected to open in Germany in September.
Political signals from Washington have also changed. At last month's NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriots. Approximately three weeks later, he said he had not yet made a final decision. Even if a license is granted, officials and experts estimate that starting production in Ukraine would take years.
Although Trump expressed doubts about the agreement last month, the United States is pushing ahead with talks on allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors, Reuters reports. According to the report, the discussions include an option for Ukraine to manufacture some components for final assembly elsewhere in Europe.