British newspaper The Guardian has sharply criticized NATO countries for failing to provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of air defense capabilities. According to the author, the alliance has effectively failed in its defense planning, while the resulting shortage of Patriot missiles is already directly threatening Kyiv’s ability to repel Russian air strikes.

The problem, the publication notes, goes far beyond individual decisions by Washington on additional supplies. Even if Ukraine’s partners provide additional interceptor missiles as a political gesture, their existing stockpiles would still be insufficient to provide adequate air defense coverage for Ukrainian territory.

The Guardian describes the scale of the shortage as critical. To provide Ukraine with the required number of interceptors, annual production of Patriot missiles would ideally have to be three to four times higher than the current total global output.

The newspaper describes the situation as the result of a complete failure in defense planning by NATO countries. According to the author, the consequences of this failure are not limited to Ukraine. Depleted stockpiles and insufficient production capacity could eventually threaten Europe’s own security, leaving it without the necessary level of air defense protection.

The consequences of the shortage could become particularly severe as winter approaches. The Guardian believes Kyiv should already prepare for serious power outages due to insufficient air defense capabilities to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.