Ukraine Nears Patriot Missile Boost as Peace Talks Hit a Wall

Ukraine could receive additional Patriot air defense systems from its allies, including the U.S., in the coming weeks, according to new reports, as Washington-brokered peace talks fail to yield a deal to stop the fighting.

Why It Matters

Kyiv’s ability to defend key targets and cities hinges on supplies of air defense systems. They have consistently featured at the top of Ukraine’s wish list of military aid from its backers, with its stocks dwindling in the face of relentless Russian aerial attacks.

The brief pause of U.S. military aid en route to Ukraine, enacted by President Donald Trump in March, significantly impacted stocks of Patriot missiles fired by systems working nonstop, a Ukrainian source with knowledge of the matter previously told Newsweek. There were deep concerns at the time that the Patriot systems could stop functioning in as little as a month after the block was imposed, before it was lifted later in March.

Ukraine’s then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba memorably said in March 2024: “Give us the damn Patriots.” But Ukraine’s supporters in Europe have looked with concern at their own scarce air defense supplies.

What To Know

Ukraine’s backers are in talks to provide Ukraine with more Patriot air defense systems, Reuters reported on Monday, citing an anonymous source familiar with the discussions.

Greece and the U.S. are possible options for supplying the air defense systems, the news agency reported.

The U.S. will send a Patriot air defense system formerly based in Israel on to Ukraine after it has been refurbished, The New York Times reported separately on Monday, citing four current and former American officials. A former White House official told the newspaper that the former administration, under President Joe Biden, had agreed the deal with Israel in September ahead of the elections that returned Trump to power.

Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email.

Kyiv’s allies are discussing how Germany or Greece could deliver another system, the Times reported.

Officials are hoping to secure an agreement on the air defense systems ahead of NATO’s next summit at the end of June, according to Reuters.

NATO pledged at its Washington summit last year to supply Ukraine with four more Patriot systems and a SAMP-T air defense system, often cast as Europe’s answer to the Patriot.

The Patriot is considered the gold standard of ground-based air defense, credited with intercepting Russia’s raft of next-generation weapons, including hypersonic missiles fired at Ukraine. Ukraine’s systems are shrouded in secrecy, but the country is believed to have between six and seven operational Patriot batteries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv is willing to pay $15 billion for 10 of the surface-to-air missile systems.

Russia launched several, deadly missile attacks on Ukraine throughout April, including firing a combination of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital overnight into the morning of April 24. Kyiv officials said at least 13 people were killed.

Trump, in a rare overt rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in a post to social media shortly after: “Vladimir, STOP!”

Trump, who pledged to end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours, has become increasingly irritated with the glacial pace of progress towards implementing a ceasefire agreement, more overtly criticizing Russia’s recalcitrance to ink a deal despite pursuing a rapprochement with the Kremlin.

The U.S. has threatened to walk away from negotiations if progress cannot be made quickly.

Ukraine agreed to a 30-day full ceasefire during talks with the U.S. in March.

The Kremlin declared a brief, 30-hour ceasefire for Easter, during which both sides accused one another of attacking. Moscow then said it would not conduct any military operations between midnight on May 8 and midnight on May 11, adding: “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.”

The unilateral ceasefire, still falling short of a deal the U.S. has pursued, was met with skepticism in Ukraine and abroad.

What People Are Saying

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early April: “The Patriots that are currently just sitting somewhere in our partners’ warehouses must be put to real use to protect lives.”

What Happens Next

It’s not clear when U.S. efforts to secure a ceasefire deal will pan out—nor if they will in the next few weeks. “I do believe we’re closer with one party, and maybe not as close with the other,” Trump told NBC earlier this month.