Ukraine prepares for Patriot missile cut as Middle East tensions rise

Ukraine is preparing for a potential reduction in Patriot missile system deliveries as the U.S. and Israel engage in conflict with Iran, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Associated Press.

Zelenskyy explained that he had relied on European partners to help procure Patriot missiles despite U.S. supply shortages and limited production capacity. However, the war with Iran has further depleted the already constrained stock of American missiles.

He stated that Patriot systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities and warned that if the Middle East conflict does not end soon, support for Ukraine could decline even further.

“The package — which is not very big for us — I think will be smaller and smaller day by day. That’s why, of course, we are afraid,” Zelenskyy said,

“We have to recognize that we are not the priority for today,” he added.

The Ukrainian president also noted that the country currently has no full alternative to Patriot systems.

By Jeyhun Aghazada