"Currently, Russia produces 140 ballistic missiles per month. According to NATO standards, to destroy 140 missiles, 280 air defense missiles are needed. We will never have 280 missiles per month," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with the Russian edition of Deutsche Welle.
"Honestly, even 100 missiles per month is a huge problem, but that's exactly what we need. We need about 100-120 missiles for these difficult months, especially during the cold period."
Where can the missiles come from?
Asked where Ukraine could get them, he replied that theoretically the country could get them from the US - either from stocks or from manufacturers. "But it doesn't work from manufacturers. The problem is not in the US itself: there is a political will to sell and help, but the production volumes are small. So only the stocks remain", Zelensky said, adding that he did not know whether the Americans would be ready to provide them. The Ukrainian president emphasized to DW that Ukraine has good relations with the Middle East, as well as that a dialogue is underway with these countries. "I will not reveal all the details." Zelensky also added that an aid package is expected from the Europeans, which "is not very large". "The Europeans who sincerely support us should provide us with everything they can. With all due respect to them, they should help the Ukrainians survive."
Further in the interview, Zelensky also spoke about the pan-European "Freya" system, which he calls "our Ukrainian-European system." According to him, it will be created in Ukraine. "The goal is to get the first version by the end of December to test it, and then put it into production. But technically it is very complicated: companies from ten countries are involved in the "Freya" project. Usually, the creation of such systems takes about twenty years. But we don't have that much time. We need it now, and it would be better if it was ready yesterday."
He specified that the main components of this system - the launcher and the missile - are already available and they are Ukrainian-made.
"We are in a good position"
Regarding the attempts to negotiate an end to the war, Zelensky points out that the very fact that US President Trump's special representatives - Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner - visited Kiev for the first time since the beginning of the war is a good sign. "It is important to visit not only Moscow, but also Kiev. First of all, this is a show of respect for our people," Zelensky says, adding that he discussed with them Ukraine's strong position at the moment - despite the difficulties with fighter jets, drones, aerial bombs, missiles, ballistics. "Despite all this, Ukraine is currently much stronger on the battlefield than last year. Russia, as you know, is losing over 30 thousand people per month. And this is a high price for such slow progress on the battlefield. That's why we think we're in a good position to negotiate right now. I also know that the Americans share their views with the Russians."
Author: Misha Komadovsky