Zelensky in Brussels: more EU support as Patriot stockpiles run out

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the European Council summit in Brussels to press for stronger military and financial support for Ukraine. During the summit he said he saw no “signals” from Russia of a willingness to end the war [source: Just Security].

The request comes at a critical moment for Ukraine’s air defense. A source told CNN that Kyiv has run out of missiles for its Patriot systems, made in the United States and considered the most effective tool against Russian ballistic missiles. According to the same source, in the latest attack almost all the ballistic missiles launched at Ukrainian territory went unintercepted precisely because of the lack of available interceptors.

On the financial front, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters that the European Union will likely have to grant Kyiv a new loan to cover the budget shortfall projected for next year. The statement signals that, in addition to military support, European governments are already discussing the terms of ordinary financing for the Ukrainian state for 2027, not just emergency aid tied to the conflict.

The three elements — Zelensky’s position at the summit, the report on the depletion of Patriot stocks, and the prospect of a new European loan — come from separate sources gathered in the same Just Security roundup: the Ukrainian president’s statement at the European Council, a source cited by CNN, and the Estonian prime minister cited by Reuters. There is, at present, no direct institutional confirmation of the exact level of Patriot stockpiles remaining available to Ukraine, a detail concerning sensitive military capabilities that is rarely confirmed in detail by the governments involved.

The discussion on a new European loan for 2027 remains, for now, a political indication, not a decision formalized by the European Council.