The United States approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1bn on Friday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision. He warned that deliveries could take years, stressing that stockpiles were needed immediately to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.
The US State Department said the proposed sale would improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by upgrading its integrated air and missile defence systems. The official announcement did not provide an estimate for when the weapons could reach the country.
Zelenskyy pointed to ongoing assaults on critical utilities. Right now, the Russians are attacking our energy infrastructure every single day, he said.
Ukraine has long maintained that it urgently needs more missile interceptors to neutralise the growing waves of projectiles fired by the Russian military. The Patriot system is the most effective weapon available to counter fast-moving ballistic missiles.
Officials reported that a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Five more died in daytime strikes across two other provincial cities, while a late-evening missile strike killed one person in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy argued that US and European allies possess sufficient stockpiles of Patriot interceptors to supply Ukraine immediately. He said these inventories could be replenished in coming years through existing contracts already paid for by Kyiv and its partners, stating this would be the right approach and was entirely feasible.
Delayed missile deliveries have added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington. This follows US President Donald Trump announcing a diesel deal with Russia and criticising Zelenskyy over Ukraine’s unwillingness to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
Despite the urgency from Kyiv, the interceptors will likely not arrive quickly. Weapons sales typically take years to fulfil, and two people briefed on the US decision said the missiles are yet to be manufactured and are not expected until a couple of years into the 2030s.
One of those sources said Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is encouraging the Pentagon to bring forward the delivery date. This could involve sending Kyiv missiles currently held in the US arsenal and backfilling those stocks with the newly ordered Patriot interceptors.
According to the State Department, Ukraine will fund the purchase using contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through a programme called US Jumpstart. Financing also comes from national funds backed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.
The Pentagon website shows that the Jumpstart programme uses allied donations to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine. Lockheed Martin serves as the principal contractor for the Patriot interceptor sale.
The US has supplied large quantities of weapons to foreign allies while also expending munitions in its own military operations in Iran. These actions have raised concerns regarding inventories of air defence and precision-guided weapons.
