Ukraine must adapt to the new realities of American politics and make Patriot air-defence missiles its top priority, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, days after voters in the United States midterm elections handed control of Congress to the Democrats.

Speaking to Ukrainian television channel TSN in an interview broadcast on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Kyiv had to build dialogue with Washington's new political landscape and press its case for more foreign aid and stronger air defences against Russian attacks.

Patriot supplies are 'No. 1 priority'

With Russia's war now past the four-and-a-half-year mark, Zelenskiy said keeping Ukraine's US-made Patriot systems supplied with interceptor missiles mattered more than anything else.

"If we don't solve the Patriot problem, it will get very tough for us," he said. "This issue could be solved by Europe, some countries outside Europe and, of course, the United States of America. This is the No. 1 priority."

The warning comes despite a US State Department decision last week to approve the possible sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine, worth an estimated $2.1 billion. Those missiles are not expected to be delivered until the early 2030s, leaving Ukraine facing a shortage in the meantime.

F-16s and the next talks

Zelenskiy said he was also working to ensure Ukraine has enough operating F-16 fighter jets over the next five to six months, and that Kyiv needed further aid packages, including $16 billion in assistance he said Washington had promised but not delivered.

US-led talks involving Ukraine and Russia on ending the conflict are scheduled to resume next week in Abu Dhabi.

Sources: Reuters, Zelenskiy says Ukraine must adapt to new US political realities, 5 November 2026; Devdiscourse, 6 November 2026; Akhbrna, 6 November 2026.