The United States has cleared the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, a weapon Kyiv says it urgently needs as Russian aerial attacks escalate. Ukraine had said deliveries were held up in recent months.
In a Friday statement, the State Department said the advanced PAC-3 interceptors would cost $2.1bn (£1.6bn). It said the purchase would be “funded entirely” by Kyiv’s allies in Europe and Canada, and that no US funds were involved.
Sale approval follows days after Trump-Zelensky row
The decision came only days after a public dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Trump said it was time for Ukraine to get a new leader in order to try to end the war with Russia.
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Zelensky has repeatedly urged Washington to speed up Patriot deliveries. The article describes the system as the only effective option for shooting down Russia’s deadly ballistic missiles. Earlier this week, he said Ukraine had been waiting almost a month for the US to approve critical missile supplies.
Funding routes and contractor for the Patriot order
According to the State Department, Ukraine will pay using donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through the JUMPSTART program, along with national funds financed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan. The department named American company Lockheed Martin as the principal contractor.
The department argued that the sale would support US foreign policy and national security goals by strengthening a partner it described as a source of political and economic stability in Europe.
No production timetable has been confirmed. The order reportedly covers new builds rather than existing stock, which makes a rapid delivery to Ukraine unlikely.
Shortages, Russian strikes and limited production capacity
Zelensky recently acknowledged that Ukraine was running critically low on Patriots, as Russia intensified strikes on key energy infrastructure ahead of winter. The article says Kyiv desperately needs the interceptors, but a global shortage exists because the US has been using the munitions in its war against Iran.
Production is also slow. The US Department of Defense has said only 600 Patriot missiles are produced each year. In July, Trump said Washington had “not agreed” to license Ukraine to produce Patriots, three weeks after offering that right.
In a Telegram post late on Friday, Zelensky said Russian ballistic missiles had struck two of the country’s regions earlier that day. “They continue to carry out terrorist strikes against our cities,” he said.
