Britain is set to help Ukraine build their own Patriot air defence system in a bid to reduce Kyiv’s reliance on supplies from the US.
Washington has not been sending as many of the Patriot system’s Pac-3 missiles as usual with America redirecting resources to the Middle East.
It has meant Moscow have been able to barrage populated areas in Ukraine in recent months due to a shortage of the surface-to-air defensive missiles that would typically intercept Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned of the damage this shortage is inflicting against devastating Russian ballistic missile attacks, last month admitting that he is being ‘very persistent’ in pressing the US to provide his country with more Patriots.
And now, Britain and other European countries are said to be filling in the gaps by working on an alternative anti-ballistic system – a move coordinated by Nato.
Following discussions with the Prime Minister, Zelenskyy reportedly said: ‘E3 countries [the UK, France, Germany] will help us with anti-ballistic capabilities.
‘By the way, I hope that we will manage to develop a European anti-ballistic system together with the UK. We are working on it. We need it, and the UK needs it.’
On Sunday, Zelenskyy met with Sir Keir Starmer, French leader Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where he stressed the ‘urgent need’ to bolster defence weapons and ‘scale up the production of interceptors and co-develop anti-ballistic missile and deep strike capabilities’.
The United Kingdom is set to help Ukraine build their own Patriot air defence system in a bid to reduce their reliance on supplies from the US
Washington have not been sending as many of the Patriot system’s (pictured) Pac-3 missiles as usual, thanks to Trump’s involvement with the conflict in Iran
The meeting followed a Russian drone strike which damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel in the Kyiv region, nine miles from the Chernobyl power plant.
The Ukrainian leader described the strike as ‘extremely vile’ – saying it was ‘an increase in Russia’s brazenness’.
In regards to the possible new defensive weapon, it was reported Ukraine hoped to develop their own radar, guidance systems and tracking alongside European organisations.
This would also be cheaper than the American Patriot – each Patriot system is believed to cost $400million, while missiles can cost up to $6million each – and easily scaled up.
The co-ordinated efforts are believed to be organised through Nato, who have set up meetings between national security advisors from state members and industry leaders, as well as other planning officials.
The Telegraph reported that Kyiv hopes to produce these missiles for the European system though their own domestic defence industry.
‘Ukraine’s role is to produce anti-ballistic interceptors, and we’re already testing them,’ a Ukrainian source told the paper.
However, it is unclear when the European alternative will be ready for use and match the American version, and it is believed Ukraine will still continue to lobby America to send more supplies of the Patriot (which stands for ‘Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target’).
A Russian drone strike which damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel in the Kyiv region this weekend, nine miles from the Chernobyl power plant
Britain, France and Germany’s leaders are also expected to talk with Trump about making more money available for Ukraine at next week’s G7 summit.
There is also believed to be a push to redirect the president’s attention to a diplomatic end to the war with Russia, having spent recent weeks occupied with the conflict in the Middle East.
Zelenskyy has accused Trump of using 800 Patriot missiles in the first three days of attacks in the recent conflict in the Middle East – more than he was sent or used in the entire duration of the war in Ukraine.
In 2024, two truck-mounted quad-launchers for the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems were destroyed in a strike by a Russian hypersonic Iskander missile.
Ukraine only had five of the Patriot systems – which consists of a robust radar array, one control station, a power generator, missile launch stations, and a small fleet of support vehicles – before this strike, and each battery, with missiles included, cost around a billion dollars each.
