Regarding interception missiles, regrettably, there were no new promises today. Following the European Union foreign and security policy high representative meeting on September 28th, EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative Kärstia Karaas said this.
According to reports, the EU has proposed a ‘stock replacement’ scheme, in which member states will provide their existing stocks to Ukraine, with subsequent replacements made. However, this proposal has not yet gained unanimous approval from all parties. Under pressure from other European countries, Greece and Spain have still refused to compromise on delivering interceptor missiles to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the crisis over Ukraine’s air defense continues to worsen. Ukraine’s stock of Patriot interceptor missiles is almost exhausted, and according to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Russia produces 140 ballistic missiles per month.
According to the website of the EU External Action Service, the Ukrainian news site RBC.UA, and the TASS news agency, the European Council for Defense Ministers met in Brussels on September 28. After the meeting, Caras stated that the EU failed to reach an agreement regarding providing Ukraine with additional 'Patriot' missiles.
Previously, she stated that Ukraine needed more ‘patriot’ interceptor missiles before the winter arrived, and called on member states with such stockpiles to provide missiles to Kiev.
Karais IC photo
Karlas emphasized on the 28th that air defense remains the top priority for Ukraine. "We have approved a procurement plan worth 28.3 billion euros for Ukrainian aid loans, which includes the purchase of 'Patriot' missiles produced in the United States."
However, missile production requires time, Kyiv currently needs 'Patriot' missiles," Kuras pointed out. One solution is for member states and EU partners to temporarily borrow missiles from their own stockpiles to provide to Ukraine, followed by replacement with new equipment financed by Ukrainian aid loans.
Tasci says this is the last remaining option.
European defense news website ‘Defence Matters’ pointed out that if this ‘storage replacement’ proposal is approved, it will address one of the most difficult issues in military aid to Ukraine—the speed at which funding can be allocated may be faster than the manufacturing speed of advanced missiles, allowing Ukraine to acquire missiles more quickly.
The European defense plan increasingly emphasizes that countries must strengthen their capabilities to counter Russian military pressure while also supporting Ukraine. The media believes that the plan attempts to address these objectives, promising to replace certain components in the future, rather than requiring countries to hand over scarce missiles directly.
But one missile cannot appear in two places at the same time. The media pointed out that until the replacement missiles are delivered, any country that currently has existing stocks will see a temporary reduction in its own inventory. This is particularly sensitive for the governments of the countries in NATO’s eastern flank.
There is also a bottleneck in this plan—the replacement cycle is uncertain. Currently, the annual production of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile segment enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) is about 600 units, but not all of these will be delivered to the European Union. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), half of these missiles will be delivered to the United States, while the rest will be supplied to American allies and partners.
