Zelensky Urges Trump to Expand Patriot Missile Deliveries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the United States to accelerate deliveries of Patriot air defense systems and interceptors in a five-page letter sent to President Trump on Memorial Day. The letter warned that Russia is preparing a broader campaign of ballistic missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and said Ukraine relies almost exclusively on the United States for defense against such weapons.

Zelensky described a large Russian assault launched on the eve of Memorial Day that included dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and roughly 600 drones. The strikes killed at least two people and injured nearly 100 others while damaging more than 350 residential buildings, schools, and museums in Kyiv, including the Chornobyl Museum, which was destroyed by a direct missile hit.

Zelensky stated that Patriot systems remain the most effective defense against every type of Russian ballistic missile and noted that the systems have already intercepted the majority of such missiles fired at Ukraine. He said the current pace of deliveries through the NATO-backed Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List program is no longer keeping up with the threat.

" The letter also framed Ukraine's defense needs as a test of American leadership and the durability of Western alliances.

The appeal comes amid intensified Russian aerial bombardments and uncertainty over the pace of Western military assistance. S. support while stressing that additional Patriot interceptors are difficult to obtain quickly enough to match Russia's expanding missile campaign.