US approves $2.1bn sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, but deliveries could take years

The US State Department on Friday approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1bn. The missiles are designed to shoot down ballistic missiles, which Ukraine says it urgently needs as Russia steps up its missile attacks in the ongoing war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision but cautioned that deliveries could take years.

Delivery timeline

In its statement, the State Department said the sale would strengthen Ukraine's integrated air and missile defence, but it gave no delivery estimate. In a post on X early on Saturday, Zelenskyy wrote that deliveries may begin ONLY in a few years, and urged American partners to find a solution for the period when the danger is real. He stressed that Russia attacks Ukraine's energy infrastructure every day.

Two people briefed on the US decision said the missiles have not yet been manufactured and are not expected before a couple of years into the 2030s. One of them said Ukraine's Ministry of Defense was encouraging the Pentagon to bring the date forward, for instance by giving Kyiv missiles already in the US arsenal and later backfilling them with the new interceptors.

Zelenskyy argued that the US and European allies already hold enough Patriot interceptors to supply Ukraine now, and that stocks could be replenished in coming years through contracts already paid for by Ukraine and its partners. He called this the right approach and entirely feasible.

Funding and background

The purchase will be paid for with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway channelled through a programme called US Jumpstart, plus national funds financed by the EU's Ukraine Support Loan. According to a Pentagon website, the programme uses allied donations to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor.

On Thursday, a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in Dnipro. Five more died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities, and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in Kyiv, officials said.

Delayed deliveries have added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, after US president Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Zelenskyy over Ukraine's unwillingness to halt attacks on Russian refineries. The US has also used munitions in its own military operations in Iran, raising concerns about stocks of air defence and precision-guided weapons.