Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent an urgent letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress stating that Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of air defence systems.
The information was confirmed to journalists by his adviser Dmytro Lytvyn.
“Yes, it’s true, to the President of the United States and Congress — there are two addressees,” Lytvyn said about the letter.
- The Kyiv Independent reports that Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, is circulating the letter to the White House, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress.
- The letter also expresses concern over difficulties in securing weapons supplies under the PURL programme, including the need for Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other systems.
- Zelenskyy has repeatedly highlighted shortages of air defence missiles needed to intercept Russian ballistic strikes. Last December, he said that Ukraine had already run out of missiles for some air defence systems, while other types of weaponry were also in serious shortage. He stressed that partners must either supply ready missiles, fund their purchase, or provide licences for domestic production.
- In April, the head of state stated that the situation with Patriot missiles “could not get worse.”
- Air defence missiles are supplied to Ukraine through various programmes, including PURL, which provides for the purchase of U.S. weapons funded by NATO countries.
- You can read more on this topic in Tetyana Nehoda’s article ‘Patriot missiles in short supply: how Ukraine will counter ballistic threats’.