US approval for the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine has drawn praise from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, alongside a warning that the weapons may arrive years after they are urgently needed. The package, estimated at $2.1bn, comes as Kyiv seeks more interceptors to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks.
Announcing the proposed sale on Friday, the US state department said it would strengthen Ukraine’s integrated air and missile defences against both present and future threats. It gave no delivery timetable. In a post on X early on Saturday, Zelenskyy welcomed the approval but said deliveries might not begin for several years, urging Washington to find a way to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs.
Zelenskyy pointed to daily Russian attacks on energy infrastructure as a reason for securing missiles sooner. Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for additional interceptors as Russia launches growing waves of missiles at the country. The Patriot system is the most effective weapon against fast-moving ballistic missiles.
The appeals followed deadly attacks on Thursday. Officials said a Russian drone strike on a crowded railway platform in Dnipro killed at least 14 people. Daytime strikes on two other provincial cities killed five, while a missile attack late in the evening left one person dead in Kyiv.
According to Zelenskyy, the US and European allies hold enough Patriot interceptors to supply Ukraine immediately. He proposed replacing those stocks over the coming years through contracts that Ukraine and its partners have already paid for, describing the arrangement as “entirely feasible”. Such transfers would address the gap between Ukraine’s current requirements and the arrival of newly produced missiles.
However, two people briefed on the US decision said the interceptors covered by the sale have yet to be manufactured and are not expected to reach Ukraine until a couple of years into the 2030s. Weapons sales generally take years to complete. One of those people said Ukraine’s defence ministry was pressing the Pentagon to accelerate delivery, potentially by transferring missiles from the US arsenal and replacing them with new interceptors later.
The delivery delays have contributed to tensions between Kyiv and Washington. US president Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Zelenskyy over Ukraine’s unwillingness to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
The state department said Ukraine would fund the purchase using contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway channelled through US Jumpstart, together with national funds financed through the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan. According to a Pentagon website, Jumpstart directs allied donations towards weapons, services and training to help Ukraine defend itself following Russia’s invasion. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the interceptor sale.
The US has provided substantial quantities of weapons to allies while also expending munitions during its own military operations in Iran. Those demands have raised concerns about stocks of key air defence weapons and precision-guided munitions.
