Ukraine, struggling to make ends meet

Ask AI · How do conflicts in the Middle East affect the U.S. military aid to Ukraine?

Recently, the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, said that as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, the United States is re-evaluating its global military priorities. A key proposal is currently under review, which would involve relocating some of the key air-defense systems from Ukraine to the Middle East.

This further worsens Ukraine’s already stretched-thin air-defense situation.

Illustration: “Patriot-3” surface-to-air missile.

The report said that the Pentagon is considering transferring a batch of U.S.-made air-defense interceptors originally planned to be provided to Ukraine to the Middle East, to meet the region’s urgent operational needs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also publicly stated that, affected by fighting in the Middle East, Ukraine is facing a missile shortage.

Within just three days after Tehran began pouring missiles and drones into nearby countries’ U.S. military bases, Gulf states used about 800 “Patriot” missiles for defense. Zelensky said: “Ukraine has never had so many missiles to fend off attacks.”

It looks like the United States is tearing down Ukraine’s “eastern wall” and trying to shore up an “western wall” for the Iran front.

According to Reuters, the vast majority of “Patriot” missile systems provided to Ukraine were supplied by European countries based on the “Ukraine Priority Needs List” (PURL). This list is an initiative launched by NATO in 2025, aiming to help Ukraine purchase American-made weapons.

But the United States can claim, at any time and for any reason, that it has the right to block the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Zelensky said that Patriot missile systems “will definitely” be in short supply, which will be a “challenge,” and he added that the current issue is “when all the stock in the Middle East will finally run out.”

“The U.S. produces 60 to 65 missiles per month. Think about it: 65 missiles per month means roughly 700 to 800 missiles per year, and on the first day of the war in the Middle East, 803 missiles were used.” Zelensky said.

According to Al Jazeera, Romanenko, the former deputy chief of Ukraine’s General Staff, said that the “Patriot” missile defense system has not become a barrier to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks within the country. Ukraine now has fewer than 12 Patriot launch batteries, while Kyiv needs at least 25 batteries.

Romanenko said: “The Russians already know that we only have a small number of Patriot missile defense systems to counter their ballistic missiles, so they attack targets that are not covered by the Patriot missile defense system.”

Ukraine has long been short on weapons and equipment. Even if the U.S. stares at this “mosquito meat,” it still can’t save enough missiles to use for the Iran direction; it will only push Ukraine deeper into trouble.

Editor: Zhao Xiaoqian

Reviewers: Zhao Yifan