The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has requested from his American counterpart, Donald Trump, an extraordinary package of Patriot missiles in order to reinforce the protection of the Ukrainian energy grid against the foreseeable campaign of Russian bombings during the upcoming winter.
The request from the Ukrainian leader took place this Tuesday in the closed-door meeting that both held in the Oval Office, as confirmed by Zelensky himself in an interview published this Wednesday by the Axios portal.
"We need Patriot yesterday," emphasized Zelensky, who underscored that it is not enough with Washington's authorization to produce these missiles on Ukrainian territory, as it will take at least a year to achieve mass production.
The purpose of Kiev is to secure a minimum of 300 interceptor missiles before winter arrives, a period in which Russia intensifies its attacks against energy facilities. The severe shortage of these projectiles already made it extremely difficult to repel the last major missile offensive on Kiev.
Zelensky detailed that Russia employs between 30 and 40 ballistic missiles in each large-scale attack against Ukraine, with a frequency of between three and five offensives monthly. In addition, he indicated that they are in talks with American companies to refine domestically produced missiles and bring their performance closer to that of the Patriots.
This new demand adds to the warnings that Zelensky has been issuing in recent months, alerting that the air defense systems are practically empty to face these bombings. Therefore, he has insisted on the need for the United States to grant all the necessary licenses to manufacture Patriots in Ukraine and thus reduce dependence on the arsenals of its allies.
Trump backed these requests during the last NATO summit, held earlier this month in Ankara. "I think we are going to close that deal (....) We are going to grant you a license to manufacture Patriot missiles," stated the president of the United States in the Turkish capital.
SUSPENDED CONVERSATIONS
Zelensky explained that this last meeting at the White House should serve as a prelude to an upcoming visit by Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who, although they have maintained contacts with Moscow and Kiev, have concentrated much of their efforts on the Iran crisis.
According to the Ukrainian leader, this trip could take place in about two weeks, which would finally narrow down the date of a visit that has been discussed for months and that would be the first that both make to Kiev, after several rounds of prior contacts in the Kremlin.
Zelensky has assured that they are ready to analyze in depth with them all the proposals on the table to try to end the war, although he has again questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has a real willingness to stop the conflict.
At the same time, Zelensky has highlighted that the relationship with Trump has improved significantly and believes that this is partly due to the recent evolution of the war, with Ukraine carrying out increasingly bold attacks and Russia facing, for the first time since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022, a growing internal discontent.
"Our relations are much better and more constructive. They are no longer as emotional as before. And I think it is good that they have improved," Zelensky has pointed out, who with Tuesday's visit adds his third appearance in the Oval Office since that tense meeting at the end of February 2025.