Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 27, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Ukraine says it may form joint ventures with allies to develop air defenses that can intercept ballistic missiles as Patriot PAC-3 interceptor stocks run critically low. The push reflects a broader global interceptor shortage and limited annual PAC-3 production capacity, complicating resupply. ([cep
By Max Hunder
KYIV, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine is considering forming consortia with its allies to build air defences capable of downing ballistic missiles and overcome a critical deficit of munitions for U.S.-made Patriot systems, its defence minister said.
Patriot systems have been an important part of Ukraine's efforts to defend its skies against Russian ballistic missiles, which fly faster than the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by Ukraine's other air defence systems.
Stocks of the Patriot system's PAC-3 missiles have been running "critically" low, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
"Ukraine has significant potential to independently produce counter-ballistic systems and missiles," Fedorov told reporters this week, adding that air defences had been his main focus since he took office in mid-January.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly criticised delays by Ukraine's allies in providing Patriot missiles and other air defences since Russia's 2022 invasion, and said that at one point in January several systems had run out of ammunition.
Fedorov said he had discussed the idea of creating joint air defence ventures with Zelenskiy. Reuters could not determine whether discussions have already taken place with allies or which of its allies Kyiv has in mind.
"This requires a dedicated project - the mathematics is complex and requires time. But Ukraine must develop its own capabilities," Fedorov said.
Fedorov touted an early success in his tenure last month after Elon Musk's SpaceX agreed to cut off Russian forces from thousands of its Starlink satellite internet terminals which were not on a Kyiv-approved whitelist.
He said that since the cut-off, the number of Russian livestream connections on the battlefield had dropped elevenfold.
"We effectively cut Russia off from this connectivity," he said.
The terminals are resistant to electronic jamming and thus an invaluable means to communicate on the battlefield and to pilot drones.
Fedorov said intercepts of radio frequencies, which can be disrupted more easily, had increased significantly after the cut-off.
(Reporting by Max Hunder, Editing by Daniel Flynn, Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones)
Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is considering consortia with allies to build air defences able to down ballistic missiles and to address a critical deficit of Patriot munitions.
Fedorov said stocks of the Patriot system's PAC-3 missiles have been running "critically" low, with Zelenskiy also criticising delays in receiving Patriot missiles and other air defences.
Patriot systems have been important for defending against Russian ballistic missiles, which fly faster than the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by Ukraine's other air defence systems.
Fedorov said he discussed creating joint air defence ventures with Zelenskiy, but Reuters could not determine whether discussions had taken place with allies or which allies Kyiv had in mind.
Fedorov said SpaceX agreed to cut off Russian forces from thousands of Starlink terminals not on a Kyiv-approved whitelist, and that Russian livestream connections on the battlefield dropped elevenfold afterward.
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