Key facts
- US is delaying delivery of paid-for Patriot missiles.
- Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks are critically low.
- US currently supplies 12 Patriot missiles per month.
- Zelensky proposed halting strikes on Russian diesel for missiles.
The United States is delaying the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles already paid for under a NATO-coordinated weapons purchasing initiative, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Oct. 18. Washington has approved only some of the missiles purchased through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which allows NATO allies to finance the purchase of U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine, Zelensky said. The U.S. is currently supplying only 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month, approximately one-quarter of the number provided under the Biden administration, according to Zelensky. Unlike the military aid provided under Biden, Ukraine must now purchase the missiles. Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks had again reached critically low levels by mid-October, with reports indicating that available missiles had been exhausted. Patriot systems are crucial for defending against Russian ballistic missiles. Zelensky also proposed suspending Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for additional Patriot missiles, a proposal that comes amid growing tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump's demands that Ukraine halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries.