Telegraph: Greece and Spain “refuse” to hand over expiring Patriot missiles that could help Ukraine

The British newspaper The Telegraph published an article on Friday, October 9, headlined “Spain and Greece refuse to give up Patriot missiles that could save Ukraine”. The report, by diplomatic editor Joe Barnes, claims that the two countries are “sitting” on stocks of Patriot interceptors that are approaching expiry and could be given to Kyiv, by presenting them as non-critical to Greek air defence.

What the Telegraph reports

According to the newspaper, Greece is estimated to hold at least 200 Patriot PAC-2 missiles that are nearing the end of their 23-year service life. It is not known how many Spain has, although its foreign minister announced in September that Madrid would give Ukraine five interceptors. NATO and EU officials, the Telegraph writes, are trying to persuade the two countries to hand over the missiles before they expire.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas raised the issue at an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland on September 1, without naming countries: “We know that some of the countries have interceptors that will expire soon. So, it would be very good if those would be given to Ukraine.” Interfax-Ukraine reported her remarks at the time. A diplomatic source told the newspaper that the approach to Athens and Madrid is framed as the question “how can we help you make this decision?”.

Kyiv fears that Russia will launch up to 1,000 missiles, drones and bombs this winter against substations, hydroelectric and thermal power plants, and infrastructure at the country’s three nuclear power stations. Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine needs 300 to 360 Patriot interceptors to withstand the campaign. The Telegraph notes that the war with Iran created a global shortage, with estimates that the United States and its allies fired at least 800 Patriot interceptors in the first days of the conflict.

The headline and the text

The headline speaks of a “refusal”, yet the article itself quotes no official Greek or Spanish reply. It says only that the newspaper asked both defence ministries for comment. It also says that those taking part in the discussions avoid naming the two countries publicly. Fabian Hoffmann, a missile expert at the University of Oslo, explains in the same article that “expiry” means the manufacturer stops guaranteeing the missile will work, not that it becomes useless. The missiles can be recertified by replacing components such as batteries and motors.

The Greek Patriots

Greece operates six Patriot batteries in the Hellenic Air Force’s 350th Missile Wing. The 1999 contract included 200 PAC-2 GEM missiles, as set out in our recent analysis of the Greek Patriots. The missiles were delivered from 2002, which fits the number and the date given by the Telegraph.

One Greek battery is deployed in Saudi Arabia with ELDYSA and since March 2026 has intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and Houthi missiles and drones. On October 1, the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA) granted a one-month extension, with the question of replenishing munitions still open. Across the Aegean, Turkey is developing the Tayfun ballistic missile, which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in December 2022 frightened the Greeks and could reach Athens.

The pressure is not new. In April 2024, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece cannot part with weapon systems that are critical to its deterrent capability. In the same period, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said publicly that he did not understand why Greece and Spain were not sending Patriots. All this comes at a time when Patriot production lines are saturated by international demand. As of publication there was no comment from the Greek Ministry of National Defence on the new report.