Putin wants to mobilize at least 300,000 more troops to Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to draft 300,000 more troops in his continued war effort against Ukraine.

Zelensky told reporters Russia could draft enough troops next year to reach a total of 500,000, according to Reuters .

Russian forces have recently ramped up ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine, targeting several cities, including Kyiv. July marked the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since May 2022, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

“We see what Putin is doing and what he wants,” Zelensky said Monday on Ukrainian Independence Day, marking 35 years since Ukraine seceded from the Soviet Union.

“A solution to his ballistic terror must be found, and this gamble of his must not pay off,” the Ukrainian leader added, referring to Putin.

To combat the Russian ballistic missile threats, Zelensky has urged the Trump administration to set aside 5 percent of its remaining Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine.

While President Trump granted Ukraine a license to co-produce Patriots in July, analysts have emphasized it will take years before the European nation can produce enough of those weapons to adequately combat Russian ballistics.

The Pentagon has exhausted roughly half of its Patriot missiles during the Iran war, CNN reported earlier this month.

Zelensky has also discussed surging foreign military assistance with other foreign leaders, including during a Monday meeting with European officials, a group Zelensky dubbed the “coalition of the willing.”

“Russia continues its attacks and ballistic missiles — yesterday, we spoke about it, with details. Today we will continue,” Zelensky remarked during the gathering . “So we need to make sure that the winter package of air defense will be in Ukraine.”

“And we need the winter package of Patriot missiles. We hope that we will have this package — we need at least 300 Patriot missiles for the winter and for the cold months.”

As of late July, the U.S. military had between 759 and 827 Patriots, down from 2,330 the day before the Iran conflict began, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies .

Over the last month, the Pentagon has awarded contracts to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to boost production of Patriot interceptor parts.