Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, in an interview with Danish broadcaster DR cited by RBC-Ukraine, stated that Western countries have a sufficient number of Patriot air defense systems and are capable of transferring them to Ukraine in additional quantities. In her words, the only thing preventing this scenario from being realized is the lack of corresponding political will on the part of partners. "We have Patriot systems around. Denmark as a country cannot do this, but Ukraine can certainly be given more support in air defense," the head of the Danish government emphasized, clarifying that Copenhagen itself does not possess such systems.
Warning about winter risks
Frederiksen drew attention to the fact that delaying the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense will have severe consequences for the civilian population during the winter period. "If we do not do this, Ukraine will face a winter in which the Russians will destroy everything around, bomb, including with ballistic missiles, and kill many people," the prime minister warned. Her words come against the backdrop of ongoing massive strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which in the autumn-winter season could lead to systematic outages of heat and electricity.
The US factor and the production license
Separately, Frederiksen noted that, despite the fact that European countries are currently taking on the main part of supporting Kyiv, it is impossible to do without the involvement of the United States. The key reason is that the US holds the license to produce missiles for Patriot systems, which makes Washington an indispensable link in the supply chain. Without American participation, European countries will not be able to independently replenish the ammunition for the systems already delivered.
Kyiv's parallel initiatives
Ukraine, for its part, continues systematic work on multi-channel strengthening of air defense. In particular, work is underway on attracting additional French SAMP/T systems and implementing the joint FREYA project. Negotiations with Germany are ongoing on concluding a special agreement that should ensure the supply of PAC-2 missiles for Patriot systems. In parallel, Ukrainian industry is scaling up its own developments and production of means to counter ballistic threats.
Zelensky's position
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted in his addresses that missiles for Patriot air defense systems exist in the world and are not a shortage that cannot be overcome. The head of state called on allies to make a concrete political decision to transfer ammunition to Ukraine, rather than storing scarce missiles in warehouses. Frederiksen's statement effectively confirms this position: the problem, in her assessment, is not the absence of equipment, but the readiness of politicians to sign the corresponding documents.
