Zelensky Sounds Alarm on New Russian Terror Wave, Urges Immediate Patriot Shipments
In a letter to Trump and Congress, president Zelensky on Wednesday said Ukraine has made major gains against Russian drones but urgently needs US anti-ballistic missiles.
Kyiv Post
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In a high-stakes push to secure Ukraine’s skies, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting US lawmakers to raise Kyiv’s urgent need for anti-ballistic missile support.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Zelensky pressed for timely US assistance as Russia intensifies missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
“We have a significant need for anti-ballistic missiles due to the constant Russian attacks. I sent a letter to the White House and the US Congress outlining Ukraine’s needs for such missiles. And today, I also personally handed this letter to the congressmen. We are counting on timely support,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
In the letter, Zelensky warned that Moscow appears to be preparing to expand its aerial campaign, describing recent large-scale strikes as part of a possible systematic escalation.
“We see many signs coming from Moscow that Russia is preparing to intensify its campaign of terror against Ukraine,” he wrote.
President Zelensky also praised US support mechanisms, including the PURL program, which helps supply Patriot missiles funded by European partners, but warned that deliveries are not keeping pace with Ukraine’s battlefield needs.
“For us – for a nation fighting for its survival – there is hardly anything more painful to see than Patriot batteries with no missiles loaded,” he wrote.
He reiterated Kyiv’s readiness to purchase additional Patriot systems and proposed expanding joint production with European partners under US oversight.
“Expanding Patriot production could become one of the most important contributions we make together to the security of America, Ukraine, Europe, and your allies around the world,” Zelensky wrote.
He also proposed deeper defense-industrial cooperation, including what he called “Drone Deals,” aimed at scaling Ukraine’s growing drone industry.
“At this stage, Ukraine has built a drone industry that now outpaces Russia’s,” Zelensky wrote.
Despite Ukraine’s progress in drone warfare, the president stressed that ballistic missile defense remains the country’s most urgent gap.
“When it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the US,” Zelensky wrote, calling Patriot systems “the most effective defense against every type of Russian ballistic missile.”
“And it is in Ukrainian hands that Patriot systems have proven something extremely important: the majority of Russian missiles can be stopped,” he added.
“The one challenge that remains extremely difficult for us – and the one that Europe cannot solve alone at this stage – is the Russian ballistic missile threat,” Zelensky wrote.
In his evening address on Wednesday, Zelensky said it is important that the US hears Ukraine’s request at a time when much of the world’s attention is focused elsewhere.
His appeal followed what he described as a “particularly cruel” Russian attack overnight on May 23, when Russia launched dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons and around 600 drones against Ukraine, including strikes on Kyiv and other regions.
Zelensky highlighted Ukraine’s success in downing more than 90 percent of Russian attack drones and said that experience has already been shared with partners in the Middle East and Gulf region, where similar Iranian-designed systems have been used.
“As long as Putin still has even one meaningful advantage in conventional weapons, he will avoid conventional diplomacy,” Zelensky concluded.
The appeal came as more than 50 partner countries condemned Russia’s latest large-scale attack on Ukraine at the UN on Monday, warning that Moscow had reached “a new and appalling level of aggression” by intensifying strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Sevinj Osmanqizi is a journalist covering US foreign policy, security, and geopolitics, with a focus on the broader post-Soviet space. She reports on Washington’s decision-making and its implications for Ukraine and regional stability.
Julia is a Deputy Head of News and correspondent for Kyiv Post who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of the Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies.
