Kallas Calls on Member States to Send Patriot Missiles From Their Stockpiles to Ukraine

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has urged all European Union member states holding Patriot air defense interceptor missiles in reserve to make them accessible to Ukraine. European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper revealed this during a briefing in response to a query on how the European Commission could motivate European nations to supply Ukraine with extra Patriot interceptors.

Kallas emphasized the urgency of bolstering Ukraine's air defense capabilities, stating that this remains a top priority. She informed that Kallas is actively engaging with EU member states and encouraging them to enhance their commitments to ammunition and other military resources for Ukraine. The plea emerges as Ukraine confronts a dire shortage of Patriot interceptors amid persistent Russian ballistic missile assaults.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously indicated that just 10% of the United States' existing Patriot interceptor stockpile would suffice to counter all Russian ballistic missile attacks, while 5% would enable Ukraine to endure the winter. Klaus Wittmann, a retired Bundeswehr brigadier general and a lecturer in contemporary history at the University of Potsdam, previously suggested that several European countries, including Spain and Greece, continue to possess Patriot missiles that could potentially be transferred to Ukraine as a short-term remedy for the interceptor deficit.