Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for the establishment of a domestic production facility for Patriot air-defence missiles following a massive Russian attack on Kiev that killed more than 20 people.
"To reliably protect lives, we need our own production," Zelensky said in his nightly video address, speaking about European manufacturing projects in Ukraine or Kiev entering into partnership with allied countries.
Western allies have supplied Ukraine with air-defence systems including the US-made Patriot batteries and Germany's IRIS-T systems. But the missiles used by these systems are costly and in short supply.
The shortage has been exacerbated by the war with Iran launched by US President Donald Trump and Israel, and is increasing global demand for advanced air-defence munitions.
Zelensky said he hopes Washington will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles under licence.
Ukraine's Defence Ministry on Thursday described the interception of ballistic missiles as a major challenge because of dwindling stocks of Patriot interceptors.
The ministry said Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov had recently contacted nearly 40 partner countries to request deliveries of Patriot missiles from their existing inventories in exchange for future replacement shipments already agreed upon.
Russia has waged a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than four years. Ukrainian authorities said a large-scale overnight attack on Kiev killed more than 20 people and injured over 80 others.
