Ukraine is running out of Patriot missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's air defense forces are running out of missiles for their US-made Patriot missile batteries.

President Zelensky shared details of his conversation with one of the Ukrainian military commanders who informed him of the emergency situation.

"At 3, 4, and 5 in the morning, the commander called me and said: 'We are near this city, and we have no missiles to reload for the Patriot battery, we are out of missiles… There are 8 (Russian) missiles coming, but we have nothing left to intercept,'" the Kyiv Post quoted Zelensky as saying on February 19.

Russia could maintain the upper hand in Ukraine for another year.

In response to a question about security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said that if allies cannot provide complete security for the country, at least the Kyiv government's military should be allowed to manufacture Patriot missiles.

In the context of security, he questioned whether the US could provide Ukraine with enough Patriot systems for defense, given Washington's opposition to sending troops or allowing Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The Ukrainian president believes his country's military could protect its airspace if it had 20 Patriot missile systems and was granted permission by the US to manufacture missiles in exchange for the Pentagon not sending troops to Ukraine.

A Patriot air defense missile system at Warsaw Babice Airport (Poland) on February 7, 2023.

Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's need for security guarantees and its goal of ending hostilities this year. However, the US rejected the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine as a viable security option for the country.

The leader also stated that Ukraine has spent $320 billion in the conflict with Russia, including $120 billion paid by Ukraine and $200 billion from the US and Europe.

Of that amount, the US provided $67 billion in weapons and an additional $31.5 billion in financial assistance.

He also criticized the Trump administration's intentions regarding the country's rare earth reserves.

Earlier this week, the Financial Times quoted Armin Papperger, CEO of the German military contractor Rheinmetall, as saying that European and Ukrainian arms stockpiles are nearly depleted due to limited reserves across the continent.

"Neither the Europeans nor the Ukrainians have anything left in their arsenals," Papperger warned, adding that the demand for weapons would remain high even if Ukraine and Russia reached a ceasefire.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-dang-can-ten-lua-patriot-185250220142019855.htm