President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine has made little progress with the U.S. on expanding production of anti-ballistic missile systems and is seeking to accelerate production in Europe as Russia’s missile threat grows [1, 2]. On May 27, he sent an urgent letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress requesting more Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles to protect Ukraine's skies from Russian ballistic missiles [3, 4]. He told U.S. officials, "I ask for your help in protecting Ukraine's skies from Russian missiles. We have already proposed that Ukraine is ready to purchase the number of Patriot systems and interceptor missiles we need" [3].
Russia launched a massive missile strike on Ukraine on May 24–25, firing about 30 ballistic missiles, of which Ukraine shot down only 11 [3, 5, 2]. Zelenskiy said the Russian attack included nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles [3, 2]. He warned that Russia’s ballistic missiles remain Moscow’s last major conventional advantage on the battlefield and that as long as Russia holds such capability, conventional diplomacy will be blocked [3, 4].
Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian ballistic missiles relies almost entirely on U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, but the current rate of interceptor missile deliveries through NATO’s PURL program no longer meets Ukraine’s threat level [3, 5, 6, 4]. Only about two Patriot missiles remain reportedly available to Ukraine as the war enters its fifth year [4]. Zelenskiy said, "Unfortunately, there has been no progress for a long time with America regarding the expansion of anti-ballistic missile production. We are trying to accelerate this work in Europe" [1].
Intelligence indicates Russia is preparing a new large-scale missile strike on Ukraine [7, 8]. Zelenskiy said, "We have intelligence information about Russia preparing a new large-scale strike. Our services are responding promptly and are prepared. The Air Force and other defenders of the sky will work 24/7, as they always do" [7]. He called for accelerated delivery of air defence systems and further sanctions on Russia ahead of the anticipated attack [7, 8]. Zelenskiy emphasized that "Anti-ballistic defense is a key task" [8].
U.S. congressmen Richard Blumenthal and Jim Himes have expressed support for increasing deliveries of air defence interceptors to Ukraine. Blumenthal said, "My hope and expectation is that America will respond positively to this request" [5]. Resource allocation has been complicated by U.S. focus on the conflict in Iran [5].
Zelenskiy has thanked U.S. and European leadership, especially France, for financial aid and cooperation in weapons acquisition but stressed the urgency to accelerate aid to counter Russia’s missile attacks [1, 2]. Ukraine is also working on proposals for new European sanctions and measures to prevent sanctions circumvention [8].
Russia’s May 24–25 missile strike demonstrated Ukraine’s pressing need for enhanced air defence as about 40 million Ukrainians stand to benefit from increased Patriot deployments [4]. After a little progress with the U.S., Ukraine is seeking to speed production of anti-ballistic missile systems in Europe to bolster defences [1, 2].
The next important development will be the U.S. response to Zelenskiy’s urgent May 27 letter, which is expected to shape air defence support during the anticipated new Russian attacks [3, 4].
