Ukraine runs out of US Patriot missile interceptors as Russia pummels cities: report

WASHINGTON — Ukraine has depleted its stockpile of of interceptors for its US Patriot air defense system — in a dangerous development as Russia continues to pound it with brutal ballistic missile attacks, according to a report.The advanced Patriot interceptors are Ukraine’s primary way to take down Russian ballistic missiles, which are roughly the size of a big-rig truck.The West has grappled with a shortage of Patriot interceptors for months following the protracted wars involving Ukraine, Israel and the Persian Gulf.“Almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles,” a source familiar with the shortage told CNN.

During that spate of attacks, Russia hit a Ukrainian power plant and also killed four people in Kyiv — despite President Trump’s announcement of an energy cease-fire between the two countries.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly pleaded for the licenses needed to manufacture the Patriot interceptors within Ukraine.Last month, Zelensky claimed that Trump gave the green light for Ukraine to get those licenses.

But Trump was coy about whether that was the case, and so far, it doesn’t appear that the license deal came through, according to CNN.Ukraine is widely believed to have been able to match and even surpass Russia on drone warfare, but has struggled to defend against the Kremlin’s ballistic missile attacks.This is likely not the first time Ukraine is believed to have run out of Patriot interceptors during the course of the bloody war.

Patriot missiles, which are part of America’s “exquisite munition” arsenal, can take about two years to produce, though the Trump administration is scrambling to speed up production.Although the US and Europe are running low on Patriot interceptors, several allies, including South Korea, are sitting on a stockpile of other missile defense systems.

Relations between Seoul and Kyiv have soured over recent weeks.Zel...