Zelensky to Axios: Ukraine needs missile interceptors to head off winter disaster

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios in an interview Tuesday that he asked President Trump for an emergency "winter package" of Patriot air defense interceptors to help thwart Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Why it matters: Ukraine's stockpiles of the interceptors have been almost depleted, and without them the country can't defend itself against ballistic missiles. It was the reason Ukraine couldn't stop recent Russian attacks on Kyiv.

• If this problem isn't solved by winter, Russian missile attacks could destroy Ukraine's power plants, shutting off heating for millions of Ukrainians and creating a humanitarian crisis.
• The war with Iran has also drawn down U.S. stockpiles of Patriot interceptors, making it difficult to sell them to Ukraine.

Driving the news: During the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month, Zelensky and Trump discussed the possibility of the U.S. giving Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot interceptors — in order to reduce its dependence on U.S. stockpiles and boost production overall.

• Zelensky said Trump agreed during their Tuesday meeting to move ahead with the Patriot production licenses.
• After his White House visit, Zelensky said he met with representatives of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, both of which produce Patriot interceptors, to discuss the issue.
• Yes, but: Even if Ukraine obtains the licenses, it would take one to five years to produce large amounts of interceptors.
• That timeline doesn't work, Zelensky said: "We need the Patriots yesterday." He's seeking 300 of them by winter.
• He said Trump promised he would try to help, but also made clear it's difficult because of the need for interceptors in the war with Iran.
• Zelensky said Russia uses 30 to 40 ballistic missiles in every major strike it conducts against Ukraine. It's conducting three to five such attacks every month.
• He stressed that Ukraine is ready to share any military technology or expertise the U.S. wants in order to get Patriot interceptors.

What to watch: The Ukrainian president said he and U.S. defense companies are also exploring modifying Ukrainian-made ballistic missiles and turning them into anti-missile interceptors with similar capabilities to the Patriot missiles.

• "It will be faster and cheaper," he said.

State of play: While the situation on the front line is still at a stalemate, Ukraine has managed to gain significant momentum with drone and missile strikes deep inside Russia that hit oil facilities and other critical infrastructure.

• They resulted in Russian gas shortages and growing criticism from the population about the war.
• The changing war dynamic has helped his and Ukraine's standing with Trump, Zelensky said.
• "Our relations are much better and more constructive. Not so emotional like it was. And I think that it's good that it's better," he said.
• Zelensky said he briefed Trump about how Ukrainian precision strikes haven't killed civilians but instead have cut off fuel supplies in Russian-occupied Crimea — while sapping the morale of the Russian military.
• "People who are there and the Russian soldiers can't live without diesel and petrol. So of course, immediately in the polls, support for the war decreased in Russia," he said.

The big picture: U.S. mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine have been put on the back burner since the war with Iran started. Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are still in touch with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, but spend most of their time on Iran.

• Zelensky said one outcome of his meeting with Trump is a likely visit to Kyiv by Kushner and Witkoff in the next two weeks. It would be their first trip to Ukraine after multiple visits to Russia.
• The Ukrainian president said he wants to discuss in detail with them ideas for relaunching peace talks to end the war, but also for them to see the situation in Ukraine firsthand.
• Zelensky said Kushner and Witkoff still want to reach a ceasefire in order to allow space for diplomacy. But he emphasized that he doesn't think Putin would agree to pause the fighting.
• Despite the current momentum on the battlefield and his skepticism of Putin's intentions, Zelensky said he is still interested in resuming peace talks with Russia.

What to watch: The Ukrainian president said he thinks Putin is moving toward further escalation and could even try to provoke other countries in the region in order to have "a more simple victory to sell to his audience."

• Zelensky claimed Russia still gets weapons from Iran and is building infrastructure for 30,000 additional troops from North Korea who would be sent to fight in Ukraine. He also asserted North Korea is supplying ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia.
• Zelensky even claimed Putin is taking low-profile steps to prepare for the potential mobilization of additional 500,000 troops.
• "This is what we see," he said. "It's not the signal that he wants to stop the war."