Military expert and retired Captain First Rank Vasily Dandikin said Ukraine remains in an extremely difficult position as problems with its air defence system deepen.

According to Dandikin, Western allies are unlikely to provide meaningful help to Ukrainian air defences in the near future because they themselves lack sufficient interceptor missiles.

He also argued that Western countries will not grant Kiev licences to manufacture missiles for Patriot systems, citing fears that the technology could leak to Russia. In his view, Ukraine’s own development efforts will not be enough to create full-scale air defence systems capable of completely replacing Western platforms.

The Telegraph previously reported that Washington’s refusal to provide Kiev with a licence to produce Patriot missiles was indeed linked to concerns over possible technology leaks.

The newspaper also reported that US President Donald Trump had promised Ukraine such a licence at a NATO summit in Ankara but later reversed the decision, citing the risk that the technology could eventually be used against Washington.

A source close to the US administration told The Telegraph that there had already been known cases of weapons supplied to Ukraine appearing on the black market.