Trump’s cut to Ukrainian military aid could leave millions of civilians exposed to Russian ballistic missiles

CNN — Ukraine has only one way to protect itself against Russia’s most powerful ballistic missiles – US-made Patriot defense systems. With the United States now pausing military shipments to Kyiv, they could soon run out of ammo. Kyiv and its allies are scrambling to come up with a plan after US President Donald Trump suspended military shipments to Ukraine on Monday, following his heated Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last week. The move may well have devastating consequences for Ukraine. However, much of the American military equipment that is used by the Ukrainians on the battlefield can be sourced elsewhere, produced domestically or replaced with alternatives – although there are 

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serious questions about whether Ukraine’s allies could ever afford to match what the US was providing. The biggest challenge for Ukraine, however, is the potential loss of the US-made Patriot air defense systems, which are currently irreplaceable. Ukrainian soldiers told CNN that their biggest immediate worry is not the impact of the cuts on the frontlines, but the lack of Patriot missiles protecting their families and loved ones across Ukrainian cities. “The US holds the licensing to the Patriot missile systems, and also the missile production for them, which makes it very challenging for multiple European countries to recreate these,” said Kateryna Stepanenko, the Russia deputy team lead and analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor. The Patriots are the crème de la crème of the equipment provided by the US to Ukraine and they play a crucial role in Ukraine’s air defenses. So the risk of losing them has sent Ukrainian officials into panic. “This is the only system capable of dealing with Russian ballistic missiles. The risk relates to the provision of Patriots, both in terms of repairs, maintenance and ammunition to protect Ukraine from ballistic missiles,” the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday. “We can destroy all other means of Russia’s terrorization of Ukraine with what we have in Ukraine, manufactured here or received from our partners,” Shmyhal added. Russia has been launching waves of ballistic and cruise missiles towards Ukraine on regular basis, and been striking cities, energy infrastructure and civilian targets weekly. Last summer, it deployed a cruise missile to strike a children’s hospital in Kyiv. Ballistic missiles follow a curved trajectory that takes them out of the Earth’s atmosphere, before plunging back into the atmosphere and onto its target. They travel at extremely high speeds, which makes them very difficult to intercept. World Trump’s cut to Ukrainian military aid could leave millions of civilians exposed to Russian ballistic missiles By Ivana Kottasová, CNN 6 minute read Updated 11:22 AM EST, Wed March 5, 2025 A combat-ready Patriot anti-aircraft missile system at Schwesing military airport in Germany. A combat-ready Patriot anti-aircraft missile system at Schwesing military airport in Germany. Axel Heimken/dpa/AP CNN — Ukraine has only one way to protect itself against Russia’s most powerful ballistic missiles – US-made Patriot defense systems. With the United States now pausing military shipments to Kyiv, they could soon run out of ammo. Kyiv and its allies are scrambling to come up with a plan after US President Donald Trump suspended military shipments to Ukraine on Monday, following his heated Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last week. The move may well have devastating consequences for Ukraine. However, much of the American military equipment that is used by the Ukrainians on the battlefield can be sourced elsewhere, produced domestically or replaced with alternatives – although there are serious questions about whether Ukraine’s allies could ever afford to match what the US was providing. The biggest challenge for Ukraine, however, is the potential loss of the US-made Patriot air defense systems, which are currently irreplaceable. Ukrainian soldiers told CNN that their biggest immediate worry is not the impact of the cuts on the frontlines, but the lack of Patriot missiles protecting their families and loved ones across Ukrainian cities.

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 “The US holds the licensing to the Patriot missile systems, and also the missile production for them, which makes it very challenging for multiple European countries to recreate these,” said Kateryna Stepanenko, the Russia deputy team lead and analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor. The Patriots are the crème de la crème of the equipment provided by the US to Ukraine and they play a crucial role in Ukraine’s air defenses. So the risk of losing them has sent Ukrainian officials into panic. “This is the only system capable of dealing with Russian ballistic missiles. The risk relates to the provision of Patriots, both in terms of repairs, maintenance and ammunition to protect Ukraine from ballistic missiles,” the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday. “We can destroy all other means of Russia’s terrorization of Ukraine with what we have in Ukraine, manufactured here or received from our partners,” Shmyhal added. Firefighters evacuate a woman from a destroyed building in central Kyiv after a missile attack in January 2024. Firefighters evacuate a woman from a destroyed building in central Kyiv after a missile attack in January 2024. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images Russia has been launching waves of ballistic and cruise missiles towards Ukraine on regular basis, and been striking cities, energy infrastructure and civilian targets weekly. Last summer, it deployed a cruise missile to strike a children’s hospital in Kyiv. Ballistic missiles follow a curved trajectory that takes them out of the Earth’s atmosphere, before plunging back into the atmosphere and onto its target. They travel at extremely high speeds, which makes them very difficult to intercept. Cruise missiles meanwhile are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane, and can be launched from ground, air, or sea. They are hard to detect because they tend to be smaller and fly low, and some can also travel at high speeds. At the same time, Moscow has been increasing its stockpiles at a rate Ukraine cannot keep up with. Russia is manufacturing more munitions while also procuring them from allies such as Iran and North Korea. It is unclear how many missiles Ukraine has in its stockpiles and whether more supplies were already on the way from the US. 

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A Ukrainian official told CNN on Tuesday that Kyiv’s stocks of Patriot missiles could run out in a matter of weeks. Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines were also quick to point out the Patriots as a key piece of equipment that Ukraine cannot afford to lose. “Our weakness is in air-defense missiles – the Patriots,” said Yegor Firsov, the chief sergeant of a drone strike platoon. “Even we, the military, would like to have our families, our rear, protected as much as possible when we are serving on the frontline,” he said.