European countries that still hold significant stocks of interceptor missiles are expected to face pressure from the European Commission to transfer them to Ukraine, as Kyiv’s need for air-defence systems grows increasingly urgent, EU officials told Euronews.
Spain and Greece, in particular, are expected to come under pressure at a defence meeting on Tuesday in County Wicklow, Ireland, to provide some of their stocks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late August that deliveries of Patriot interceptors had declined even as Russian missile attacks on Ukraine intensified. He said Kyiv needs an estimated 300 interceptors to fend off what is already shaping up to be a bitter winter battling another year of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The war with Iran has forced the US to draw heavily on its own Patriot reserves, shrinking the pool of interceptors available to replenish allies — including Ukraine — at precisely the moment Kyiv needs more.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier this year Madrid pledged to donate five Patriot missiles to Ukraine amid the shortage. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Athens has “resisted” pressure to transfer any of its six Patriot batteries to the war-torn nation in the past. He argued they are critical for defending the country’s own airspace.
