US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, but deliveries may take years

The United States has approved a $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot missile interceptors to Ukraine, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said delivery could take years, leaving Kyiv short on air-defence weapons.

The US State Department announced the approval on Friday, saying the proposed sale would enhance Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future missile threats.

According to the department, the purchase will be financed by contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway to the US JUMP-START programme, and a portion of funding from the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan. US funds are not planned to be used for the purchase, said the department. Lockheed Martin will be the main contractor, Reuters reports.

He welcomed the decision but urged Washington to speed up the shipments, saying in a post on X that it could only happen “ONLY IN A FEW YEARS”.

“We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors,” he said.

Ukrainian president has also warned again and again that the attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure are increasing as winter draws on. Meanwhile, he has called on Western allies to supply missiles from their own stocks while new production is underway.