KYIV - Ukraine is weighing the formation of multinational consortia with partner countries to build an air defence capability able to intercept ballistic missiles and to address a severe shortage of PAC-3 missiles used by U.S.-supplied Patriot batteries, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
Patriot systems have been central to Ukraine's efforts to protect its airspace from Russian ballistic strikes. Fedorov emphasized that ballistic missiles travel faster than the speed of sound and are not vulnerable to interception by Ukraine's other air defence platforms, underscoring the strategic role Patriots play.
Stocks of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot have been running "critically" low, Fedorov said. That shortfall has added urgency to discussions about ways to secure additional interceptors and to create more resilient supply lines.
Fedorov told reporters that "Ukraine has significant potential to independently produce counter-ballistic systems and missiles," and that air defence had been his principal focus since assuming office in mid-January.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly criticised delays by allies in supplying Patriot missiles and other air defence systems since the outbreak of major hostilities in 2022, and Fedorov said that at one point in January several systems had run out of ammunition.
Fedorov said he had discussed the concept of forming joint air defence ventures with the president. It is unclear whether formal talks with allied governments have already begun or which countries Kyiv might be considering as partners.
"This requires a dedicated project - the mathematics is complex and requires time. But Ukraine must develop its own capabilities," Fedorov said.
The defence minister described the proposal as technical and time-intensive, stressing that developing an indigenous counter-ballistic capability would not be an immediate fix but a strategic investment in sovereign defence production.
Starlink cut-off and battlefield effects
Fedorov also pointed to what he described as an early operational success during his tenure: an agreement with SpaceX that led to Russian forces being cut off from thousands of Starlink satellite terminals that were not on a Kyiv-approved whitelist.
He said that since the terminals were cut off, the number of Russian livestream connections from the battlefield had dropped elevenfold. "We effectively cut Russia off from this connectivity," he said.
The defence minister noted that Starlink terminals are resistant to electronic jamming and therefore serve as a valuable communications tool for battlefield coordination and unmanned aerial systems operations. He added that interceptions of radio frequencies, which are easier to disrupt, have risen significantly following the Starlink restrictions.
Fedorov framed the combination of boosting indigenous production capacity and coordinating with allies as central to Ukraine's strategy to shore up its air defences and reduce future dependence on external munitions deliveries.