U.S. War in Iran Leaves Ukraine’s Air Defense in Limbo |
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Russia’s War in Ukraine
Understanding the conflict four years on.
Ukraine and its partners in Europe are holding their breath and waiting to learn just how the war in Iran may affect U.S. military aid—and especially the delivery of the powerful Patriot air defense missiles that Kyiv has relied on to blunt the devastating impact of Russian ballistic missiles.
“Everything will depend on the situation around Iran,” said one European diplomat, who—like others quoted for this story—was not authorized to speak publicly.
Ukraine and its partners in Europe are holding their breath and waiting to learn just how the war in Iran may affect U.S. military aid—and especially the delivery of the powerful Patriot air defense missiles that Kyiv has relied on to blunt the devastating impact of Russian ballistic missiles.
“Everything will depend on the situation around Iran,” said one European diplomat, who—like others quoted for this story—was not authorized to speak publicly.
Russia has long sought to crush Ukrainian resistance with ballistic missiles, in particular by using them to go after Ukrainian critical infrastructure, according to Yasir Atalan, a deputy director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank. Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sites using drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles hit a peak this winter, leaving many Ukrainians regularly without power or heat.
Since April 2023, the United States has donated to Ukraine Patriot anti-air missiles, which are designed to handle the complicated task of intercepting a ballistic missile. Ballistic missiles work by rocketing into the air and then plunging down on their target. European nations have also donated Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
In July 2025, though, the Trump administration stopped outright donating the missiles and instead began selling them to NATO countries, which then give them to Ukraine. The system is called the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, program. Weapons sold under PURL are delivered either directly from U.S. stocks or are newly made, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson told Foreign Policy.
The system has never been perfect. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has regularly complained of a shortage of the interceptors. European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said in March that Ukraine needs as many as 2,000 Patriot missiles per year, yet Kyiv received just 600 interceptors over........