US approves $2.1b Patriot missile sale to Ukraine
Photo: REUTERS
United States authorized the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, delivering a vital supply of munitions to bolster the country’s defense against escalating Russian aerial bombardment.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said receiving these deliveries could take “several years.”
According to the US State Department, the advanced PAC-3 interceptor missiles carry a price tag of $2.1 billion (£1.6 billion), an expenditure that Kyiv’s allies in Europe and Canada will have “funded entirely.”
On Friday night, Zelensky reiterated his urgent call for Washington to accelerate the distribution of its Patriots, which remain the sole effective shield against Russia’s lethal ballistic missiles.
This latest arms decision follows a sharp clash earlier this month between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, occurring after Washington eased sanctions against Moscow as part of an agreement to secure Russian diesel. At the time, Trump asserted that Ukraine needed fresh leadership to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia.
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having previously seized Crimea and parts of Donbas in the east. Relations then stabilized after Zelensky conducted discussions with US envoys in Oslo on 20 October.
In its statement on Friday, the State Department emphasized that “this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe.
“Ukraine will pay for this purchase with donations from Canada, Germany, and Norway via the JUMPSTART program and national funds, financed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.”
The statement identified American defense firm Lockheed Martin as the “principal contractor,” stressing that “no US funds are involved in this sale.”
Meanwhile, European diplomats staged a protest during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, by refusing to stand for an official group photograph alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Confronting Lavrov directly at the summit, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Moscow of slaughtering innocent civilians in Ukraine, saying, “Let me say this directly to the Russian Foreign Minister: We all know who the aggressor in this war is.”
Earlier in the week, Zelensky revealed that Ukraine had been awaiting US sign-off on crucial missile stocks for nearly a month while inventory ran dangerously low. Writing on X late Friday, he welcomed the US announcement but stressed that Kyiv requires the Patriot missiles “right now.”
He pointed out that Russia has intensified its bombardment of critical energy infrastructure ahead of winter, launching “more than 30 Russian strikes” against “critical parts” of Ukraine’s power grid over the past two weeks.
Although Kyiv desperately needs these interceptors, a global supply shortage has emerged because the US has deployed the munitions in its war against Iran. The exact production timetable for the Patriots remains unclear, but officials understand the contract covers newly manufactured units rather than existing inventory, making rapid delivery to Ukraine unlikely.
Patriots require lengthy manufacturing cycles, with the US Department of Defense noting an annual production capacity of only 600 missiles. In July, Trump said Washington had “not agreed” to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriots domestically - coming just three weeks after he had offered the nation that right.
Source: BBC (adapted)
