Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs 5% of US Patriot missile stock to get through winter

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that his country needs 5% of the US stock of Patriot missiles to get through the winter.

In an interview with CNN, excerpts from which were published overnight, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has “two and a half times less interceptors” this year than it had in 2025, while claiming Russia has “two times more ballistic missiles per month” than it had before.

Zelenskyy spoke about his daily personal efforts to secure more interceptors for Ukraine from partners, saying he tries to “exchange something” for missiles.

“This year, I’m asking American partners to sell me 5% of missiles, what they have in their stocks,” Zelenskyy said.

“If they sell us 5%, we will go through the winter and save people’s lives. If they can sell us 10%, we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy went on to say, adding Ukraine currently has 1%.

The Ukrainian president’s remarks come as CNN reported earlier this month that the US military has drawn down almost 80% of its critical missile-interceptor stockpile and about half of its Patriot missiles since the war with Iran began.

Meanwhile, Moscow and Kyiv continue to trade accusations about airstrikes amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, notably targeting each other’s logistics centers, as well as port and energy infrastructure.

Both Moscow and Kyiv deny either side’s accusations of targeting civilian infrastructure, and claim they are merely attacking military targets or those linked to military activities.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said on US social media company Facebook that the country’s military leadership decided to introduce restrictions on information on the number of Russian ballistic missiles launched and downed in its morning reports.