Ukraine has been left without Patriot interceptor missiles (sources). Major crisis in air defense, amid tensions with Trump.

Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles (sources). Major crisis in air defense, amid tensions with Trump. Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles, essential for defense against Russian ballistic attacks, at a time when tensions between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are intensifying. The situation is aggravated by Washington's pressures on Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, as well as the restrictions affecting the Starshield military communications system. According to sources quoted by CNN, reported by News.ro, almost all ballistic missiles launched by Russia in the latest attacks were not intercepted due to the lack of ammunition for the Patriot systems. Furthermore, in recent days, the White House reached a highly criticized agreement regarding the import of gasoline from Russia and exerted increasing pressure on Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Zelensky stated that he feels betrayed by the agreement reached by Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced that Ukraine will continue to attack Russian refineries since then. For several months, Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Ukraine is running out of Patriot interceptor missiles manufactured in the US, which are among the few defensive weapons capable of shooting down a ballistic missile. However, interceptor missiles are both expensive and globally deficient, as other countries have exhausted their stocks or attempted to consolidate their own defense systems amid the war in Iran. The source stated to CNN that "almost all of the ballistic missiles from the latest attack were not intercepted due to the lack of missiles (interceptors)." Russian ballistic missiles hit three power plants in Kyiv and targeted the energy infrastructure in Kharkiv during the attack from Tuesday to Wednesday night. Four people were killed and 25 were wounded in Kyiv on that day. The Ukrainian Air Forces had previously stated that they intercepted four Russian ballistic missiles while defending themselves against the attack, suggesting that they used the last Patriot missiles they had. This is not the first time Ukraine has been completely out of Patriot interceptor missiles, and Zelensky has spoken publicly about his constant fight to obtain more stocks. He told CNN in August that he spends his days with "millions" of phone calls with allies, trying to reach agreements to get more Patriot missiles. At that time, he stated that Ukraine only possessed a tenth of the interceptor missiles it urgently needed. One month later, the Ukrainian president adopted a more optimistic tone, stating that the country "will receive a license for the manufacture of Patriot missiles" from the United States. However, American President Donald Trump ultimately refused to specify whether he agreed to this, and the license never materialized. Tensions between Zelensky and Trump reached a peak in recent days, amid Washington's demand that Kyiv stop attacks on Russian fuel facilities, even though Moscow continued to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure with force. Zelensky stated to the Financial Times, in a heated interview, that he might agree to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure only if he is provided with at least more Patriot interceptor missiles. He added that "when he requested more air defense systems, the American response was to weaken the Starlink service." In a public statement made on Wednesday, he pleaded once again for more stocks, stating: "The American President has all the effective and necessary tools to bring peace closer through force, justice, and pressure on the aggressor. We request additional packages of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine." Before the elections in mid-term in the US, Trump increasingly attributed the rise in global gasoline prices to the war between Ukraine and Russia, despite the fact that the war in Iran plays a more significant role in fuel price increases. At the beginning of this week, the Trump administration warned Ukraine and its European allies that the US could suspend European purchases of American weapons and information exchange for Ukraine if Kyiv does not stop attacks on Russian energy facilities, according to two European officials. Warnings from the Department of State and the Pentagon were transmitted over the weekend to officials in Ukraine and Europe, including communications from the US military directly to Ukrainian commanders. Since then, Trump has insisted that the US has not stopped sharing information with Ukraine. If the administration decides to suspend European purchases of weapons, which occur through the mechanism called the "Ukraine Priority Needs List" (PURL), this would jeopardize any future deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles used for ballistic missile defense. Ukraine claims that Starshield has not been fully restored. The exhaustion of Patriot interceptor missiles is far from being the only problem Ukraine is facing this week; the country is also dealing with interruptions in information exchange and restrictions on the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink system, called Starshield. Ukrainian authorities stated that they were caught by surprise this week by a reduction in the capacity of the Starshield system, which disrupted military operations, logistics, and the interception of drone attacks with reaction propulsion. Musk, CEO of SpaceX, stated on his X social media platform that the Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, adding that any limitations on speed or their use are within the jurisdiction of the US military and the President. A source from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated on Thursday to CNN that, "at this moment, Starshield operations have been resumed and continue." The source added that the ministry is discussing with all parties involved "to establish all the causes and circumstances of yesterday's restrictions." Meanwhile, Zelensky indicated that some restrictions are still in effect. The Ukrainian president stated on Thursday morning that Russia has launched over 850 attack drones since midnight "at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is artificially restricted." The highest Ukrainian diplomat in Washington, Denis Sienik, confirmed that the speed of the Starshield network has improved but has not been fully restored. "We hope that everything will return to the previous level," he stated. No response was received from SpaceX or the Pentagon, stated another Ukrainian official to CNN. Editor: M.I. - Tags: - us - ukraine - defense - patriot missiles - trump - zelensky - russian attacks Follow news on Digi24.ro and Google News