Patriot, HIMARS, F-16: What weapons does Ukraine need and will Washington make a decision?
10 July 2025 16:03
ANALYSIS
US President Donald Trump has said that the United States will have to supply Ukraine with weapons again to help it defend itself against increasing Russian air attacks. According to media reports, Trump also promised Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provide 10 missiles for the Patriot missile defense system.
But is this enough? What kind of American weapons does Ukraine critically need now to effectively counter the missile and drone attacks that have only intensified recently? "Komersant Ukrainian" found out.
What weapons does Ukraine need most of all?
By intensifying its air strikes, Moscow is actually telling Ukraine what it should rely on. First of all, it is about air and missile defense systems, as well as the necessary ammunition. Most of these systems already in use by the Ukrainian army are of American or joint US origin.
In their exclusive comments for , the experts explain what kind of assistance the United States can provide, why it has not happened yet, and what needs to change in Washington’s political mind.
Roman Svitan, a military expert and retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, notes that American weapons are critical in all areas – from offensive operations to rear-guarding.
“We have needs in the air and on the ground. American weapons are used in all these areas,”
– says the expert.
Particularly important are 155-mm shells, which come from Europe, but additional supplies from the United States would only strengthen defense capabilities. But the biggest need is for M30/M31 (GMLRS) missiles for HIMARS.
“These missiles are only American-made. Their range is up to 80 kilometers, and it is this kind of weapon that allows us to hit the enemy’s rear positions at least 50 kilometers away,”
– emphasizes Svitan.
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The situation with air defense also remains critical. Many air defense systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces work exclusively with American missiles.
“For example, AM-120 missiles are needed for both air defense systems and F-16 fighters. The same goes for AM-7 and AM-9 missiles. Without them, the equipment is idle,”
– the expert says.
He also emphasizes the need for missiles for Patriot systems, in particular PAC-2 and PAC-3. Without ammunition, even the most expensive equipment is useless.
According to a retired Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel, the US first froze the aid and then began to return it “a teaspoon at a time.”
“It seems that they deliberately worsened the situation, and now they are bringing everything back, positioning it as heroic aid,”
– says the expert.
He adds that changes are possible only if Donald Trump’s team is rotated:
“The Trump administration is now focused on the Middle East and promoting Israeli interests, often at the expense of Ukraine. If Trump does not remove these people, nothing will change.”
According to the expert, only a return to the team of “Reagan-type statesmen” such as Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, or Lindsey Graham can open the way to large-scale support.
We need systemic and large-scale assistance, not symbolic
Former SBU officer and military analyst Ivan Stupak also confirms that the current amount of assistance is not very significant. Stupak draws special attention to missiles for airplanes, air defense systems, and the number of shells:
“These 10 tanks that were transferred do not make a difference. A hundred tanks is another matter. It’s the same with airplanes: 10 is a symbol, but 100-120 is real power. We need mass. Many, many things. Not 20 Stingers or 10 airplanes.”
The analyst notes: The United States has large stockpiles of weapons, but it just doesn’t want to share them:
“When our aid was stopped, the same day the Pentagon asked the Senate to write off 340 airplanes and helicopters. They are junk for them. For us, they are gold.”
According to him, the security of the United States is not under threat, and Ukraine needs what the Americans already have in their warehouses.
“This is a political decision. And it is made not by the General Staff, but by the heads of the US administration,”
– Stupak summarizes.
So, both experts agree on one thing: the United States has everything it needs to significantly strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. But this will not happen without political will. Ukraine does not need demonstrative symbolic batches of weapons, but solutions that can change the course of the war. And these solutions lie overseas.
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