At NATO Summit, Zelensky Urges Rearming Europe To Build Missile Defense Against Russia
Metin Akta/AFP
KEY POINTS
- Russia’s latest attacks have exposed Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors.
- Zelensky says Europe needs its own mass-produced missile defense capabilities.
- NATO allies are increasing defense spending as U.S. missile stockpiles come under strain.
Shortly after the deadliest attack of the year by Russia on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Turkey to invest in anti-ballistic missile capabilities. “This is Russia’s last major advantage,” he said. “Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic missile systems as soon as possible.”
Zelensky’s appeal came as Russia escalated ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, exploiting shortages of anti-ballistic Patriot missiles that have undermined Ukraine’s air defense network. While Ukraine was unable to intercept a single one of the 23 Russian ballistic missiles in the recent strikes, it succeeded in downing the other 37 missiles and 90% of the drones.
The Russian war in Ukraine and the Israeli military’s campaigns across Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran have led to a shortage in America’s stockpile of anti-ballistic Patriot missiles. The Trump administration used up approximately 50% of what remained of the stockpile in its conflict with Iran, leaving the Pentagon with just 25% of what it needs for current operations and to be prepared for future conflicts like a confrontation with China over Taiwan. Currently, the U.S. can produce only 600 Patriot missiles a year and it would take three years to replace what was used in just one month of combat with Iran.
The chronic shortage of Patriot missiles has exposed a critical bottleneck in the global supply chain that produces them—namely, that only the U.S. and Japan engage in end-to-end production of these systems.
The inability of America’s military-industrial complex to keep up with the demands of multiple, simultaneous conflicts across the globe involving the U.S. or its allies has spurred Europe to rearm. Germany, Britain, France, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania are all ramping up defense spending and a European Defense Fund has been established to counter the rising threat of Russia.
