- Ukraine has reportedly run out of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, leaving most Russian ballistic missiles unstopped.
- A Russian barrage this week hit three Kyiv power plants and killed four people in the capital.
- Trump said it was time for Ukraine to get a new president after Zelensky called his Russian diesel move a betrayal.
- Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starshield satellite network was throttled, and allies gave no warning of two Russian missile strikes.
- With U.S. stockpiles drained by the Iran war, Washington is pressing Kyiv to stop hitting Russian energy sites.
Ukraine has exhausted its supply of U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles, CNN reported Thursday, leaving its cities vulnerable to Russian ballistic attacks. A source familiar with the shortage told the network that “almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles.” The development comes as President Trump has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports, pressed Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil facilities, and suggested Ukraine needs new leadership.
Patriot interceptor shortage leaves Ukraine exposed to Russian missiles
The Patriot system has served as Ukraine’s primary defense against Russian ballistic missiles, and little else in its arsenal can stop them. But global supplies have been stretched thin by wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, including America’s own campaign against Iran. Kyiv’s cupboard has gone bare before: in August, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN he had only about 10 percent of the interceptors he needed.
This week’s overnight barrage hit three Kyiv power plants and energy sites in Kharkiv, killing four people in the capital and injuring 25. The Ukrainian Air Force reported downing four of the incoming ballistic missiles, which CNN said suggests those were the last Patriots Ukraine had.
Trump pushes for Ukrainian leadership change amid diesel deal controversy
Earlier this month, Trump dropped sanctions on Russian diesel exports in hopes of cooling fuel prices before November’s midterms, pitching the move as a win for American consumers. Zelensky called the decision a betrayal.
Trump’s reply to Zelensky’s complaints was blunt: it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president.” Zelensky’s five-year term ran out in 2024, yet he has held off on elections, pointing to martial law and insisting on a lengthy truce with Russia first.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky said more Patriots were the least he would need before agreeing to stop hitting Russian energy targets. He added that when he requested additional air defenses, “the American response was to weaken Starlink’s service.”
Starshield disruptions and missed warnings deepen mistrust between allies
Ukraine’s military found its access to Starshield, the military-grade cousin of Elon Musk’s Starlink, suddenly throttled this week, hobbling logistics, drone missions and defenses against jet-powered drones. Service was partly back by Thursday, but Ukrainian officials said fast-moving military hardware was still affected.
Musk said on X that Starshield belongs to the U.S. government and that the military and the president call the shots on any limits. A senior U.S. official told CNN that “no such request (for restrictions) was ever made by the President.”
Kyiv also says its Western partners gave no heads-up before Russian missiles hit the capital on both Monday and Tuesday nights. According to U.S. media, American officials blamed the missed launches on bad weather, a story Ukrainian officials reportedly didn’t buy.
America’s own stockpiles depleted by Iran war as Kyiv pleads for more
Washington has little left to give. The Iran war has eaten deep into America’s own interceptor supply, and a Pentagon watchdog report sent to Congress last month flagged strategic munitions shortfalls. Trump has brushed off such concerns, insisting in September that the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited” supply of mid- to high-grade munitions. Meanwhile, Patriot missiles take roughly two years to manufacture, and Europe’s reserves are running low, too.
On Wednesday, Zelensky again pressed the U.S. and other allies for more interceptors, urging them “not to turn a blind eye to reality.” Instead, two European officials told CNN, the administration has warned it could freeze European purchases of American weapons for Ukraine unless Kyiv stops striking Russian energy sites, which would cut off the pipeline for future Patriots.
Americans have already sent Ukraine about $130 billion, according to the Kiel Institute, and the era of blank checks may finally be closing. Zelensky can keep demanding missiles America no longer has to spare, but a leader whose mandate expired two years ago, and who keeps hitting the refineries Trump blames for high fuel prices, is hardly in a position to dictate terms.
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