President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed directly to US President Donald Trump and Congress for expanded air defense support, warning that Russia is intensifying its missile campaign and that Ukraine’s current air defense capacity is under growing strain.
In a letter sent on Memorial Day, May 25, Zelensky said he chose the date deliberately, noting it has become a tradition for Ukrainian presidents to use the occasion to thank the US for its continued support during the war.
His appeal followed what he described as a “particularly cruel” Russian attack overnight on May 23, when Russia launched dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and around 600 drones against Ukraine, including strikes on Kyiv and other regions.
Zelensky said Russia used 54 cruise missiles, 30 ballistic missiles, three Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. Russia also launched an intermediate-range “Oreshnik” ballistic missile – one struck the Kyiv region, while another reportedly fell in temporarily occupied territory in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
He added that Ukraine continues to face mass drone attacks, many of them Shahed-type systems.
He highlighted Ukraine’s success in downing more than 90% of Russian attack drones and said this experience has already been shared with partners in the Middle East and Gulf region, where similar Iranian-designed systems have been used.
However, he stressed that Ukraine remains heavily dependent on foreign partners for missile defense, particularly against ballistic threats.
“When it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States,” Zelensky said, calling Patriot systems “the most effective defense against every type of Russian ballistic missile.”
“And it is in Ukrainian hands that Patriot systems have proven something extremely important: the majority of Russian missiles can be stopped,” he added.
He revealed that Moscow appears to be preparing to expand its aerial campaign further, framing recent large-scale attacks as part of a possible systematic escalation.
“We see many signs coming from Moscow that Russia is preparing to intensify its campaign of terror against Ukraine.”
Zelensky also praised US support mechanisms, including the PURL program, which helps supply Patriot missiles funded by European partners, but said delivery rates are not matching battlefield demand.
“For us – for a nation fighting for its survival – there is hardly anything more painful to see than Patriot batteries with no missiles loaded,” he said.
Zelensky reiterated Kyiv’s readiness to purchase additional Patriot systems and proposed expanding joint production with European partners under US oversight.
“Expanding Patriot production could become one of the most important contributions we make together to the security of America, Ukraine, Europe, and your allies around the world,” he added.
He also proposed deeper defense-industrial cooperation, including what he called “Drone Deals,” aimed at scaling Ukraine’s growing drone industry.
“At this stage, Ukraine has built a drone industry that now outpaces Russia’s,” Zelensky said.
Despite Ukraine’s progress in drone warfare, he stressed that ballistic missile defense remains the most urgent gap.
“The one challenge that remains extremely difficult for us – and the one that Europe cannot solve alone at this stage – is the Russian ballistic missile threat,” he said.
Closing his appeal, Zelensky urged continued US engagement, saying Ukraine is working to push Moscow toward diplomacy but warning that battlefield advantage still shapes Russia’s choices.
“As long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin still has even one meaningful advantage in conventional weapons, he will avoid conventional diplomacy,” he said.
In an evening address on Wednesday, May 27, Zelensky also confirmed that he had sent a special letter to Trump and Congress.
“Yesterday, the letter was already sent to institutions in Washington. It is rare for leaders of another state to address the president and Congress of the United States in this way – in a letter simultaneously – but the situation is such that we need to act promptly and effectively,” Zelensky said.
According to him, it is important that the US hears Ukraine.
“We understand that a lot of global attention is now on the war in Iran. We also need to stop the war here in Europe – a very bloody war that has been going on for five years at a full-scale level. And the sooner we can provide more protection against ballistic missiles, the sooner we can make diplomacy work,” he added.
Zelensky said that as long as Russia relies on missiles, its interest in diplomacy is not genuine and must be countered.
“We can only fix this together with America. Ukraine is grateful to America for all its support. It will be even more grateful for a just peace and guaranteed security,” he added.