Ukraine to sign contract for about 1,000 Patriot missiles, defense minister says

Ukraine is contracting a supply of approximately 1,000 missiles for U.S.-designed Patriot air-defense systems, with assistance from allies and through a European Union loan, Kyiv’s defense minister announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Yevhenii Khmara noted that the majority of the missiles would only be delivered in the coming years and called for more urgent aid.

In comments later posted by the Defence Ministry, Khmara said Ukraine was asking its Western partners to provide more air-defense missiles from their existing stocks. In exchange, Kyiv offered improvements in missile performance under contracts already signed.

Khmara also stated that Ukraine was being hindered by a $27 billion shortfall in financing for drone supplies.

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The ministry’s summary of the meeting indicated that Khmara had presented a plan for Ukraine’s conduct of the war—already being implemented—alongside a list of what Kyiv considers the biggest threats posed by Moscow.

Khmara said Russia was making no strategic gains along the 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) front line, but was compensating for its battlefield failures with “terror against Ukrainians.”

Russia resumed near-constant drone and missile attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday, following a brief halt during the visit of U.S. peace negotiators. Officials reported five people killed in the capital, along with additional casualties in various regions.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told the meeting that Ukraine’s allies had no choice but to increase their support, enabling Kyiv “to seize the opportunities it is creating now across all fronts and to defend itself in the skies.”