Ukraine "fights tooth and nail" for every Patriot missile, needs at least 300 to get through winter – Sybiha
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha outlined Ukraine’s diplomatic priorities ahead of winter. Kyiv is engaged in difficult negotiations over every missile for Patriot systems and is preparing "anti-ballistic sanctions" against Russia.
He said this at a forum hosted by the UNITED24 platform, Censor.NET reports.
According to Sybiha, the summer break is coming to an end for Ukraine’s partners, while Ukraine has worked without interruption throughout this period and is ready to immediately undertake tasks aimed at bringing a just peace closer.
First priority: energy
The minister named energy as the priority for this autumn. On the President’s instructions, diplomats must secure supplies of equipment, transformers and generators, while every ambassador has received an individual list of tasks.
"This will be the measure of their effectiveness," Sybiha said.
Second priority: air defence
The second area is air defence. Ukraine is working with partner capitals that possess the necessary equipment, primarily interceptors and PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems.
"It is extremely difficult. We are literally fighting tooth and nail for every item, every missile," Sybiha said, describing the negotiations with partners.
According to him, Ukraine needs at least 300 missiles to get through the winter, and these estimates have already been presented to its partners.
"This war is not about Ukraine; it is a war to defend Europe alongside us, and our security is also their security," Sybiha stressed.
Third priority: sanctions
The third priority is sanctions. According to the minister, the enemy must feel a sanctions blow after every missile strike on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
The EU’s 22nd sanctions package, which requires a consensus decision, is currently being prepared. At the same time, at Ukraine’s initiative, a separate emergency package is being imposed after every strike on Kyiv. The Foreign Ministry has dubbed it "anti-ballistic."
It targets the entire ecosystem involved in producing Russian missiles, including individuals and legal entities. According to Sybiha, all ambassadors have been instructed to actively promote the initiative among partners, including Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Fourth priority: grain corridor
The final priority is the grain corridor, threats to which Sybiha said endanger not only Ukraine’s economy but also global food security.
Agreements on Solidarity Lanes with the EU are already in place. However, according to the minister, this is insufficient: Ukraine must restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and compensate producers for the cost of alternative overland export routes.
Patriot missiles for Ukraine
- As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that during his meeting with Trump at the White House in July, he asked him to provide Ukraine with an emergency "winter package" of 300 Patriot interceptor missiles.
- On 5 August, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine’s partners had refused to provide additional anti-ballistic missile systems. He did not rule out that this might be intended to make Ukraine "more compliant."
- According to the President, partner deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defence fell by a factor of three in the first half of 2026 compared with last year. The official reason given to Kyiv by its partners was the fighting in the Middle East. Trump also said that the United States needed these missiles itself.
