The source told CNN that “almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles.” Russian ballistic missiles hit three power plants in Kyiv and targeted energy infrastructure in Kharkiv overnight into Wednesday.
Four people were killed and 25 injured in Kyiv that day. The Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted four ballistic missiles during the attack.
Patriot interceptors are among the few weapons capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. They are expensive and scarce globally, with the war in Iran increasing demand and depleting other countries’ stocks.
Ukrainian officials told CNN in August that their supplies were close to exhaustion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had only a tenth of the interceptors it urgently needed.
In September, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would receive a U.S. license to manufacture Patriot missiles. President Donald Trump declined to confirm his approval, and the license never materialized, CNN reported.
“The American president has all the effective and necessary tools to bring peace closer through strength, justice, and pressure on the aggressor,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. “We ask for additional packages of Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine.”
The shortage comes amid an increasingly public disagreement between Trump and Zelenskyy over Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. Washington wants Kyiv to stop those attacks, even as Russia continues hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by the White House’s recent deal to import Russian diesel. He subsequently announced that Ukraine would continue striking Russian refineries.
Two European officials told CNN that Washington had warned Ukraine and European governments it could suspend Europe-funded purchases of U.S. weapons and intelligence sharing unless Kyiv halted deep strikes on Russian energy facilities. The warnings came from the State Department and Pentagon over the weekend, including direct communications with Ukrainian commanders.
Trump has since said the United States has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. The reported warnings do not establish that European weapons purchases have been suspended.
European countries purchase American weapons for Ukraine through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, known as PURL. Restricting that channel would threaten future Patriot interceptor shipments.
Ukraine’s immediate need is to replenish missiles used to defend cities and infrastructure against ballistic attacks. CNN’s report gave no confirmed date for additional deliveries.
