Ukraine is in talks with international partners to set up joint consortiums for faster production of anti-ballistic missiles, as the country faces a critical shortage of PAC-3 interceptors for its Patriot air defense systems, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
"We critically lack PAC-3 missiles for air defense to protect ourselves against Russian ballistics. We have discussed with the president the creation of joint consortiums with partners to produce anti-ballistic missiles faster," Fedorov said at a meeting with journalists marking the first month of the renewed Defense Ministry team, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Fedorov said Ukraine's own defense companies have significant potential to manufacture anti-ballistic systems and missiles domestically. However, he acknowledged the complexity of such an undertaking.
"We need a separate project for this — the math is complex, it requires more time. But Ukraine must develop its own projects," the minister added.
The statement comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that most of Ukraine's territory remains without air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Col. Yurii Ihnat, head of communications at the Air Force Command, has previously noted that Russia's massive strikes on Ukraine often combine multiple types of aerial threats — ballistic and cruise missiles alongside attack drones — pushing even modern air defense systems to their operational limits.
Ukraine has also called on European countries to pool technological efforts to develop new means of countering ballistic missiles.
