Ukraine runs out of Patriot interceptor missiles, Washington Post reports

Ukraine has completely exhausted its stockpile of interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defense systems, according to The Washington Post, citing two Ukrainian officials and a NATO representative. As of October 7, only 10 missiles remained, and these have since been used during recent attacks. The shortage stems from global supplies being drained by the Middle East war initiated by US President Donald Trump, with Washington using over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors in the first month of conflict with Iran. Production of a single missile can take up to 36 months, and deliveries to Ukraine under the PURL program have become irregular since May, with no guarantees of future shipments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged partners to increase supplies, requesting 300-360 missiles for winter protection, while Western deliveries have declined from 675 in 2023 to a planned 264 in 2026. Greece and Spain reportedly prefer keeping near-expired missiles in storage over transferring them to Ukraine.