Ukraine could launch ballistic missiles in three months, former defense minister says

In a separate interview, Zelensky said that if he were sold 10% of the US's Patriot missiles, Ukraine "will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles."

Ukraine could strike Russia with domestically produced ballistic missiles within the next few months, the country’s former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov told CBS on Sunday.

Fedorov, who was recently ousted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Ukraine could be able to launch the missiles within three to six months' time

"We need to defeat Russia in every technological cycle, and we have to make decisions 24/7," he told CBS.

Fedorov has often been credited with being the architect of Ukraine’s current war strategy. While he noted that it would be difficult to predict exactly when Ukrainian ballistic missiles would be deployed, he emphasized that Ukraine has “no choice but to do it.”

In June, Ukrainian defense company Fire Point began testing a ballistic model, which would allow Kyiv to respond to Moscow’s attacks. Fire Point has also said that it aims to begin launching interceptor missiles, but they will likely not be available until 2027. 

While it is on the uptick, Ukraine struggles to intercept Russian ballistic missiles because of its mass interceptor shortage.

Zelensky: If the US sells us 10% of Patriot missiles, 'we will destroy all the Russians' ballistic missiles'

On Sunday evening, the Ukrainian Air Force was unable to intercept any of the ballistic missiles that Russia fired at the country.

As such, Ukraine has mainly relied on long-range drones and cruise missiles to attack Russia.

Zelensky has been publicly pleading with the US and Europe for more interceptor missiles. In an interview with CNN, he said he has only about 10% of the interceptor missiles he needs.

If the US “sells us 5%, we will go through the winter and save people’s lives. If they can sell us 10%, we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles. I have 1%,” he said.

After Trump walked back his public commitment to give Ukraine the Patriot missile interceptors, representatives from Lockheed Martin, which produces the Patriots, went to Kyiv to start discussions. But even if Ukraine does get the license, it would take at least a year, if not more, to produce them.

Ukraine has notably been receiving even fewer Patriot missiles than before due to the US interceptor shortage that stemmed from the war with Iran.

“I hope that I will get it,” Zelensky told CNN, regarding the interceptors.

“I don’t have 5% now, and I don’t have such an acceptance. And this is for me a big challenge, one of the biggest I have had from the very beginning of this war.”

In response, a White House official told CNN that the Pentagon “is currently exploring several potential pathways for future defense industrial cooperation with Ukraine.

“These discussions are in the exploratory phase; no specific industrial cooperation initiatives have been decided upon or guaranteed at this stage,” the official added.

“We must prioritize protecting these exquisite systems and expanding overall production of critical weapons systems for the US warfighter and for our partners and allies.”

Zelensky also told CNN that he would not concede any territory in Ukraine’s Donbas region, which Russia has repeatedly sought to control.

“Russia begins to speak about this war, and they speak about territory,” he said.

“The key question is why he will not come again with 1 or 2 additional million soldiers after a big pause. Why will he not come again to occupy us?”

He then signaled that he agreed with some assessments that Putin could try to expand the war in Ukraine to take on NATO.

“He doesn’t know how to end this war without big occupation or big victory for his society,” he said.

“It’s more simple to find some smaller country … for him, it will not be important if this country is in NATO or not in NATO. He wants quick victory, 100% sure that he will win, occupy or destroy or control.”