Move comes after president criticises Putin and in face of worry that US only has around 25 per cent of the missile interceptors it needs
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Donald Trump is considering sending another Patriot air-defence system to Ukraine despite the US military having a shortage of missiles for the launcher.
The US president criticised Vladimir Putin on Monday, claiming the Russian leader had fed him “a lot of bulls—” and promising to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, which faced another record-breaking aerial assault on Tuesday night.
Delivering a new Patriot would mark the first weapons package sent to Kyiv under Mr Trump that had not already been approved by the Biden administration, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The White House has asked the Pentagon to draw up a range of options for arming Ukraine – including another Patriot system – while also exploring whether allied countries could send theirs instead.
It comes despite concern inside the US department of defence that the US only has around 25 per cent of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs to fulfil its military requirements.
The US has burned through stockpiles because of the recent war in the Middle East, which was reportedly partly why the Pentagon unexpectedly paused all weapons shipments to Ukraine last month.
Officials told The Guardian they fear stocks are now so low that they could jeopardise American military readiness.
But Mr Trump appeared to reverse his stance on Ukrainian military aid on Monday, telling reporters he would “send some more weapons” to Kyiv after a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
Reports suggest he assured the Ukrainian president that the previous freeze was not his doing, and that he would help defend Ukraine from Russian attacks.
Russia has ramped up its bombardment of Ukraine in recent weeks, launching a record-breaking combined drone and missile barrage every few days.
The latest came on Tuesday night, with 728 drones and 13 missiles fired, surpassing the previous high set last Friday, when 550 projectiles were launched.
Ukraine, which only has a handful of Patriots donated by the US and other countries, has been pleading for more to fend off the escalating attacks.
Each Patriot system includes two or three launchers, a radar, a command system and interceptor missiles, and is one of the most effective systems against large-scale aerial threats.
But Patriots are also in high demand after the US donated a number of systems to Israel and used many of its own interceptors to protect Al-Udeid Air Base from an Iranian missile barrage.
According to the Pentagon’s munitions tracker, US stockpiles have been below the operational minimum since the start of Biden-era aid to Ukraine.
This shortage prompted the Pentagon to halt the shipment to Ukraine last month, which had included Patriot interceptors, anti-aircraft missiles, howitzer rounds, and Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The shipment was stopped as it transited through Poland.
Patriot production in the US currently stands at just 600 missiles per year. Iran, by contrast, is believed to have more than 1,000 ballistic missiles remaining, making the imbalance even more acute.
Despite the brief pause, Mr Trump’s rhetoric has begun to shift. The president suggested at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that he could support a “bone-crushing” sanctions package against Russia proposed by Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator.
He has also praised recent conversations with Mr Zelensky, including a call on Friday and a meeting at the Nato summit last month. “The Ukrainians, whether you think it is unfair that we gave all that money or not, they were very brave,” he said.
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Trump considers giving another Patriot system to Ukraine despite missile shortage – The Telegraph
