The United States has agreed to supply Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles every month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on August 8, 2026, but he warned that the deliveries will not be enough to protect Ukrainian cities from intensifying Russian missile attacks.

“The United States will supply Ukraine with interceptor missiles for Patriot on a monthly basis. We have an agreement,” Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference in Belgrade with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Asked whether the supply would meet Ukraine’s needs, he answered: “Are these missiles enough? No.”

Fewer interceptors than last year

Zelenskyy did not say how many interceptors Ukraine will receive each month. He described the US, as the manufacturer of the Patriot system, as Ukraine’s most important source of the missiles, but said monthly volumes this year are lower than in 2025.

The Patriot is the only system in Ukraine’s arsenal that can reliably stop Russian ballistic missiles, and Zelenskyy acknowledged that intercepting them has been a challenge since the start of the full-scale invasion. Ukraine has warned repeatedly in recent weeks that its interceptor stocks are critically low as Russia steps up ballistic strikes. In July, Zelenskyy also held talks with Raytheon about possibly producing Patriot interceptors together with Ukraine.

Searching for other suppliers

To close the gap, Kyiv is looking well beyond Washington. Zelenskyy said Germany and Poland could substantially strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, while talks are under way with Norway, the Netherlands and several Middle Eastern states. Other European countries are providing smaller quantities.

Ukraine would also be willing to buy air defense equipment from Israel, he said, but no such option is currently available. South Korea and Japan have the capability to help, but neither has supplied air defense weapons to Ukraine because of restrictions in their national laws and constitutions.

First official visit to Serbia

The Belgrade trip was Zelenskyy’s first official visit to Serbia. Vučić said Serbia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity under the UN Charter, adding that “there are no ‘buts’ on this question,” and said Belgrade would back Ukraine’s path to the European Union.

The two leaders discussed trade, which Vučić said reached $321 million in the first half of 2026, compared with $450 million for all of 2025, with iron ore the main Ukrainian export to Serbia. Zelenskyy said negotiations on a free trade agreement are progressing and could be concluded by the end of the year. Serbia also pledged a new humanitarian package including medicine and energy support, and the two countries signed a memorandum on animal health and food safety.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a “dignified peace” and pointed to Washington, Beijing, European capitals and the Gulf states as the key centers of influence. He also described the toll of Russia’s air campaign on Ukraine’s energy system, saying there are “virtually no undamaged power plants left.”

Sources

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