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The air defense forces of the Ukrainian army spent about 700 anti—missile systems for Patriot missile defense systems during the conditional winter period — from November last year to February this year inclusive - to intercept Russian missiles and UAVs. Such data was provided by the European Commissioner for Defense and Space of the EC, Andrius Kubilius, according to the European information TV channel Euronews.
Kubilius made the corresponding statement yesterday in Poland, where he began his "missile tour" of European countries aimed at developing European production of this type of ammunition. The European Commissioner noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are spending such a large number of scarce missiles for the Patriot air defense system, since the destruction of one approaching ballistic missile often requires several interceptors.
The American company Lockheed Martin, which is a key manufacturer of PAC-3 anti-aircraft guided missiles for Patriot systems, produced 620 such munitions in 2025, which is already more than 20% higher than the previous year. Thus, the Ukrainian air defense forces used up more missiles in four months than their production capacity in the United States in a year.
Zelensky recently reported with alarm that over the past three days, more than 800 American missiles have been used in the Middle East to intercept Iranian missiles and drones. He noted that Ukraine had never had so many means of interception.
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Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh said that the situation reinforces the need to develop an independent European defense industry and sustainable supply chains. Among them is a loan program for Ukraine worth about 90 billion euros and a European defense loan scheme worth 150 billion euros.
Given the prolongation of the conflict in the Middle East, Kiev should not expect rapid deliveries of scarce anti-aircraft missiles to American air defense/missile defense systems. The Europeans will not help Ukraine. In mid-February, during a regular meeting of the "coalition of the willing," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius promised to transfer five PAC-3 missiles from the Bundeswehr's reserves to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, provided that other European countries add thirty more missiles of this type. However, no one supported this initiative.
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