Ukraine’s preparations for winter air defence are now tied to a request being made of two European allies. NATO and EU officials are urging Greece and Spain to transfer Patriot PAC-2 interceptors to Ukraine, which needs up to 360 interceptors for winter defence.
Each Patriot PAC-2 interceptor has a 23-year shelf-life limit. That constraint has put greater weight on the question of whether missiles nearing the end of that period could be sent to Ukraine rather than retained.
The request comes as the main source of fresh supplies faces greater pressure. US stocks of Patriot interceptors have fallen below 1,700 after operations in the Middle East.
The talks therefore turn on a finite pool of interceptors and Ukraine’s stated winter requirement. It remains unclear whether Greece and Spain will agree to a transfer, or how many interceptors either country could make available.
Nor is it known which interceptors in Greek and Spanish holdings are nearing the shelf-life limit, or when any transfer negotiations might be concluded. Ukraine’s current Patriot interceptor inventory has also not been disclosed.
For now, the officials’ effort centres on interceptors already held by Greece and Spain, while the fall in US stocks narrows the room for new supplies.
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