Allies are urging Greece and Spain to hand over Patriot missiles to Ukraine with expiring service lives.

Greece and Spain have some of the largest stockpiles of Patriot missile interceptors in Europe, with their expiration dates approaching soon. According to The Telegraph, these missiles could strengthen Ukraine's air defense ahead of winter.

According to the publication, Greece has at least 200 PAC-2 missiles; the estimated expiration date for these missiles is 23 years. The number of such interceptor missiles in Spain is unknown, but last month, the country's foreign minister stated that Madrid would provide Ukraine with five missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Ukraine needs between 300 and 360 such interceptors to repel Russian attacks during the winter. Representatives of NATO and the EU are trying to persuade Athens and Madrid to transfer PAC-2 missiles to Ukraine, which are nearing the end of their service life. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kay Bailey, called on countries to transfer the missiles to Kyiv last month during negotiations in Ireland, as the missiles will soon lose their guaranteed service life. A diplomatic source from The Telegraph described this step as logical.

According to The Telegraph, after the warranty period expires, missiles do not necessarily become unusable immediately – they need to undergo a re-certification process. Approximately 95% of the Patriot interceptors that Ukraine receives are part of a NATO-backed program in which European countries directly purchase ammunition from the United States.

Meanwhile, the publication reports on a global shortage of these missiles and cites an estimate that US stockpiles of interceptor missiles may be less than 1700 units. In this context, according to The Telegraph, doubts are arising as to whether the Pentagon will continue to replenish Ukrainian stockpiles.