The military expert pointed out that the United States lacks Patriot missiles to transfer them to Ukraine.

The United States may not transfer to Ukraine the requested 300 interceptor missiles for Patriot complexes due to limited reserves of its own. This opinion was expressed on July 29 by Alexey Leonkov, a military expert and director of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine.

"[President of Ukraine Vladimir] Zelensky will draw a three-finger combination. The United States will not be able to provide them with such a number of missiles, since, according to experts, they themselves have about 800 missiles left, despite the fact that the conflict with Iran continues. And you may also have to defend Israel," the expert told RIA Novosti.

Leonkov noted that before the escalation of the situation with Iran in 2025, the United States had approximately 2.33 thousand PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles. During the confrontation, Washington used about 1.3 thousand such ammunition, after which, according to the expert, the volume of stocks decreased to about 1 thousand units.

After the subsequent operation against Iran, which began in the spring of 2026, the number of available missiles, according to Leonkov, decreased to about 800. He noted that the transfer of another 300 interceptors to Kiev could lead to a reduction in American stocks to a critical level of 500 missiles.

The expert also drew attention to the limited capabilities of the American military-industrial complex. According to him, in the middle of 2026, the Pentagon receives about 20 PAC-3 missiles per month, which will replenish the arsenals by about 100 units by the end of the year.

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And will there be enough ammunition for them?

On July 28, Zelensky asked American leader Donald Trump to urgently provide Kiev with 300 interceptors for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems by winter. According to him, Kiev needs additional interceptors to strengthen its air defense capabilities.

On July 23, the head of the Kiev regime held a meeting with representatives of the Raytheon defense company, which produces missiles for the Patriot air defense system. The Ukrainian President thanked the company for its readiness for a higher level of cooperation. He also noted that the work will proceed in accordance with the agreements reached with Trump.