Key facts
- Ukraine has waited nearly a month for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems.
- The delay affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for.
- Ukraine relies on Patriot systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
- Ukraine obtains Patriot interceptors through channels including NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
- Zelensky said the US delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month.
Ukraine has been waiting nearly a month for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for its Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, October 26. The delay affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for. Ukraine relies on Patriot systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to stop, making timely deliveries critical to the country's air defenses. Zelensky has said the U.S. delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month. Ukraine has also recently experienced disruptions to its early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. intelligence, and problems with military-grade Starlink service, Starshield, which have hampered drone operations.