The situation surrounding Iran may lead to delays in global missile supplies for air defense systems, affecting Ukraine’s access to necessary weaponry. Representatives of the European Commission are actively working on finding solutions that will allow Kyiv to receive modern air defense systems in a timely manner.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Concerns Over Limited Missile Production
European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, emphasized that the current tensions in Iran are concerning, as missiles for air defense are currently being heavily utilized by the armed forces of the USA, Israel, and other countries in the Middle East. The annual production of American missiles for the Patriot systems is limited to about 700 units, creating additional challenges for their distribution among allies.
“This certainly raises concerns for us as well, since missiles for air defense systems are currently being actively used by the armed forces of the USA, Israel, Arab countries, and so on,” Kubilius noted.
He highlighted that Europe does not produce missiles for the Patriot systems, making the issue of supplying Ukraine with necessary air defense means strategically important. To expedite the transfer of missiles to Kyiv, Kubilius announced the start of a “missile tour,” during which he will visit European arms manufacturers.
Financial Support and Prospects for Air Defense Procurement
In the next two years, Ukraine can expect significant financial assistance from the European Commission – 90 billion euros, of which 60 billion is designated for defense purposes. Part of this funding is planned to be directed towards the procurement of missiles and air defense systems, including from the USA. This approach will allow Ukraine to independently choose its weaponry, significantly enhancing its defense capabilities.
Kubilius believes that providing loan funds for weapon procurement will attract new countries to support Ukraine, which previously could not provide assistance due to budget constraints. This will enable them to open their weapon stockpiles for Ukraine’s needs.
However, the final decision regarding the allocation of the 90 billion euro loan is currently being blocked by Hungary. According to the European Commissioner, work is ongoing in Brussels to unblock this issue, and EU leadership is confident of achieving a positive outcome.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously emphasized that Russia used not only cruise missiles but also ballistic missiles during winter attacks. Ukraine received PAC-2 and PAC-3 packages, but PAC-2 is ineffective against ballistic targets.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has destroyed over 140,000 aerial targets, including 86 Kh-47 M2 “Kinzhal” aeroballistic missiles, 709 “Kalibr” cruise missiles, 2459 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 274 “Iskander-M/KN-23” ballistic missiles, and 44,700 Shahed-type strike UAVs.
In the summer of 2025, the USA and NATO signed the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) agreement, which provides for the supply of American weapons to Ukraine funded by European countries under NATO coordination. The contributions to the PURL program for 2025 amounted to 4.3 billion dollars, of which nearly 1.5 billion dollars were received in December.