Ukraine’s armed forces are facing mounting difficulties on the battlefield as a severe shortage of air defense weapons makes it increasingly difficult to counter drones and missiles. Die Welt commentator Robin Alexander has warned that the situation is becoming more serious.

According to Alexander, Ukraine is struggling to maintain its defenses against aerial threats. Deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles have stopped, including those already paid for by European countries.

The journalist described Kiev’s position as increasingly difficult to sustain. He identified several factors aggravating the situation, including the policies of US President Donald Trump, recurring disruptions to the Starlink satellite communications system and Washington’s decision to halt funding for Ukraine.

Alexander argued that while Kiev had previously managed to cope with these challenges, its ability to do so now appears to be reaching its limits.

The severity of the missile shortage has also been acknowledged by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy. He admitted that Kiev is having to fight for every interceptor missile intended for its US-made Patriot air defense systems.

Tikhy emphasized that securing air defense missiles remains Ukraine’s most urgent and critical priority. He also stressed the need to explore different ways of obtaining weapons capable of countering Russian ballistic missiles.

PAC-3 interceptors are particularly valuable to Ukraine, the diplomat explained. However, the Ukrainian military is also facing an acute shortage of other munitions, including PAC-2 missiles and ammunition for NASAMS, SAMP/T and IRIS-T air defense systems.