Ukraine’s Patriots stand empty, Zelenskyy warns, while Italy, one of its Aster suppliers, says: “We have some to keep for ourselves”
The Asters arm Ukraine’s SAMP/T batteries, which back up its Patriots against Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukraine's defense systems are facing a significant challenge as the country's Patriot interceptors remain empty while Russia continues to launch ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned about this situation during a speech to Denmark's parliament on November 11. The Ukrainian air force has managed to down only a few of the 36 ballistic missiles Russia launched in a single night on November 7, with the Patriot systems apparently unable to intercept most of them.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto further revealed that Italy has a limited supply of Aster missiles reserved for its own use, reducing the effectiveness of Europe's backup plan for Ukraine. This shortage of interceptors in Europe may even lead to a suspension of deliveries, similar to Germany's decision to halt Patriot system transfers. Ukraine currently possesses only two SAMP/T batteries and a few Asters, which are not enough to counter the ongoing missile attacks.
The United States has provided Ukraine with approximately 12 Patriot missiles per month, but the delivery of the 500 PAC-3 interceptors approved by Washington is expected to take years. Meanwhile, Ukraine is actively targeting Russian missile systems, having destroyed three since September. Ukraine has also requested the E5 group, comprising Italy and Germany, to consider giving up a portion of their Patriot and IRIS-T interceptors, in exchange for deliveries Ukraine has already contracted.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
