Ukraine Urges Europe to Send Patriot Missiles Now, Replenish Stocks With Future Production, Chernev Says

Ukraine is proposing that European countries transfer Patriot missiles from their existing stockpiles to Ukraine now and replace them later with newly produced interceptors, Yehor Chernev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, said. Chernev outlined the proposal during the Pan-European Conference “A Vision of a United Europe: Shared Defense, Diplomacy, and Geopolitical Agency” on Friday, Sept. 18.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. He was responding to a question about the possibility of introducing a European equivalent of the US Lend-Lease program. Ukraine has contracts for additional Patriot missiles, but some of those systems are not expected to arrive for several years, Chernev said. “We have missiles contracted for five years in advance, but they will be in five years,” he said. Under the mechanism he proposed, European countries could transfer Patriot missiles currently held in their warehouses to Ukraine and later replenish their stocks with newly manufactured interceptors. “You have missiles in your warehouses now, do not give them to us for free. Replace them with those that will be made in five years and put them in your warehouses,” Chernev said. He added that Ukraine is open to a range of financing arrangements with European partners, including a potential “European Lend-Lease” mechanism. Chernev said the US Lend-Lease program during World War II primarily involved the transfer of military hardware, including tanks and aircraft, while European countries currently do not produce some of the weapons Ukraine needs in sufficient quantities. Other Topics of Interest EU Fails to Agree on Putin Sanctions Renewal France and Slovakia reportedly want Russian oligarchs removed before approving the sanctions list, which expires on Tuesday. “That is precisely why this European loan mechanism was introduced,” he said, arguing that it helps finance Ukraine’s domestic defense production, which has rapidly expanded, particularly in the drone sector. “Today, millions of these drones are being used on the battlefield,” Chernev added. Yehor Chernev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, speaks during the Pan-European Conference in Kyiv on Sept. 18. (Photo by Olena Marchevska) US Lend-Lease existed on paper but lacked funding Chernev also pointed to the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act signed by then-US President Joe Biden in 2022, saying it ultimately did not become operational because no dedicated funding was allocated. “We recall that Biden signed the Lend-Lease Act, but unfortunately, it never actually came into effect,” he said. According to Chernev, a similar mechanism would require an actual budget allocation to function rather than simply exist as a legal framework. He said the conditional nature of lend-lease arrangements would not itself pose a major obstacle, as the model could involve either repayment or the return of military equipment after the war. However, Chernev added that Ukraine faces a shortfall of over $20 billion this year. He argued that the issue is ultimately one of political and financial willingness among European governments. “Some countries have committed to providing us with aid amounting to at least 0.25% of their GDP. Some provide far more. Others provide nothing at all,” he said. “If the financial and political will exists among European countries, I believe this can be implemented through any form of cooperation – loans, Lend-Lease, aid, donations, or anything else,” Chernev said. Kyiv offers joint defense production in Europe Chernev said Ukraine is also proposing longer-term defense partnerships with European countries through the “Build with Ukraine” program. Under the initiative, Ukraine could establish joint defense production facilities on the territory of partner countries, with European governments helping finance the projects. “Let’s establish joint production facilities. Let’s finance production on your soil. This means the funds would remain within your economy,” Chernev said. He added that Ukraine is prepared to consider a broad range of programs with its European partners rather than relying on a single model of military assistance. “We are proposing a wide range of different programs,” he said. Chernev in response to a Kyiv Post question about Ukraine’s 2027 state budget said that Ukraine has bilateral funding commitments with partner countries that are typically disbursed according to annual schedules, and Kyiv is now seeking to bring some of that money forward to help cover its current needs. “We are negotiating because, in addition to the European loan, we also have bilateral commitments undertaken by our partner countries,” Chernev said. “We are trying to talk to them about bringing this funding forward to cover our current shortfalls, as well as increasing the total funding amount,” he added. Chernev said some countries, including Germany and Norway, are already working to find additional funding for Ukraine. He said the exact amount that can be allocated to individual areas will become clearer once the government has a full picture of the budget structure and available resources. War costs $190 million a day Chernev said the financial pressure is increasing as the cost of sustaining Ukraine’s war effort continues to rise. While the war used to cost approximately $115 million per day in 2022, the figure has now risen to around $190 million, he said. Chernev attributed the increase to both the growing scale of weapons production and the rising cost of increasingly advanced military technologies. He also cited the growing number of wounded Ukrainian service members who are currently unable to serve, as well as the overall expansion of the army. “All of this drives up our budget requirements,” Chernev said. Yehor Chernev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, speaks during the Pan-European Conference in Kyiv on Sept. 18. (Photo by Olena Marchevska) Ukraine’s defense effort is financed through a combination of domestic and external resources, he said. Domestic taxes and levies remain a key source of funding, but Chernev said revenues have recently begun falling short of projections, which he attributed to Russian strikes on Ukrainian businesses. International assistance from Ukraine’s partners provides another major source of funding, he said. Hr.4.9 trillion allocated to defense and security The 2027 budget draft currently under review by parliament allocates Hr.4.9 trillion ($110 billion) out of a total Hr.8 trillion ($179 billion) to the security and defense sector, according to Chernev. He described the figure as a record in Ukraine’s history. The $110 billion includes funds provided by international partners, including financing under the European loan mechanism, he said. Around two-thirds of the allocation is designated for weapons and military equipment, while the remaining third will cover logistical support and personnel costs. Chernev said the government is also looking for ways to increase funding for military personnel allowances. “We are working with the Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for the allocation, while the entire country – the President, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Cabinet of Ministers – is seeking the necessary revenue sources,” he said. Chernev said the final allocation of resources across individual budget items will depend on the amount of funding Ukraine can secure from both domestic and international sources.