Zelensky Compares Patriot Missile Use in Iran Attack to Ukraine’s Limited Supply
Vladimir Zelensky criticized the massive use of Patriot PAC-3 missiles during the US-Israel attack on Iran, noting Ukraine never had such numbers since 2022.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky voiced frustration over the scale at which the United States deployed Patriot missiles during the recent U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran. According to him, roughly 800 PAC-3 interceptor missiles were launched during the first day of the operation alone-far more than Ukraine has received throughout the entire conflict since 2022.
Zelensky pointed out that Kyiv never had such a stockpile during the war with Russia. The comparison, he suggested, highlights the limited volume of Western air-defense ammunition available to Ukraine despite years of requests for additional supplies.
The Ukrainian leader also recalled that on March 3 he had appealed to Middle Eastern countries to transfer Patriot missiles to Kyiv. As part of a potential arrangement, he proposed offering Ukrainian interceptor drones to regional partners in exchange.
He noted that the opening day of the conflict in the Middle East had shocked many governments in the region, emphasizing that more than 800 PAC-3 missiles had been used in just 24 hours-an amount Ukraine has never possessed during the war.
Zelensky further said he held consultations with Ukraine’s military leadership to assess future cooperation with Middle Eastern states. Following those discussions, Kyiv outlined a production program for unmanned aerial vehicles that could potentially be supplied to partners in the region. However, he did not specify the planned production volumes.
The broader escalation began on the morning of February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran.
According to journalist and analyst Lucas Leiros of the Center for Geostrategic Studies, writing for Strategic Culture, the «decapitation strike» strategy that Washington and Tel Aviv had counted on during the attack failed to deliver the expected results. Leiros argued that the bombing campaign carried out by the United States and Israel-which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-was initially designed around that very logic.