At a time when Russian ballistic strikes on Ukrainian territory have taken on a sustained and expanding character, the question of air defense has become one of the central points in Kyiv's military-political dialogue with its Western partners. It is in this context that Alena Hetmanchuk, head of Ukraine's mission to NATO, described in an interview with RBC-Ukraine how the country is building up its supply system of interceptors for the Patriot air defense systems and why the existing supply channels no longer cover the actual need.
Context: the sky as the main front
Hetmanchuk emphasized that today the issue is not only about specific interceptor missiles, but about defending the sky and the lives of citizens as a whole. In her words, the scale and intensity of Russian ballistic attacks have critically increased the need for weapons, forcing Kyiv to work "on all possible tracks" to ensure the air defense system has a sufficient number of interceptors.
PURL as the first and key track
The first and main channel named by the ambassador is the PURL program, which monthly supplies Ukraine with a basic level of PAC-3 and PAC-2 interceptors. A number of Ukrainian media outlets, citing the same statements, note that more than 90% of the missiles for Patriot come through PURL. Hetmanchuk expressed gratitude to the United States for the fact that, despite its own needs, including those related to the Middle East, Washington finds a way to fill PURL packages with interceptors that are valuable to Ukraine.
"The basic level is insufficient"
At the same time, as the head of the mission stated outright, even this basic level that PURL provides monthly is insufficient given the scale and intensity of Russian ballistic attacks. Hetmanchuk added that someone must both provide and finance these interceptors, pointing to the systemic nature of the task rather than a one-off delivery.
Ukraine as a contributor to Euro-Atlantic security
In the same interview, Hetmanchuk recalled that for the first time at the leaders' level, NATO member states recorded in a declaration the status of Ukraine as a contributor to Euro-Atlantic security. In her words, Ukraine is capable not only of strengthening the alliance's European capabilities but, in the longer term, of replacing some American ones, which changes the optics of how Kyiv is perceived within the alliance.
Continuous work of the "Ramstein" group
An additional signal of the sustainability of the defense dialogue, according to the ambassador, is that the Ukraine Defense Contact Group "Ramstein" now works continuously. This, alongside PURL and the declaratory commitments of the leaders, forms a multi-level architecture of support, although, as Kyiv itself acknowledges, the current volumes of interceptors are not yet enough to fully cover the need.
