US approves proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine
publishers 37articles 38first reported 30 Oct, 20:15 UTCdeveloping since 31 Oct · 2 editionstop 25 #18
The Trump administration has approved a possible $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 air-defense interceptors to Ukraine, the US State Department announced Friday. The proposal will proceed to Congress for review.
The package, which includes missiles, parts and support, would be financed without US funds. The State Department said contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway, along with Ukrainian national funds financed through a European Union loan, would cover the purchase. Lockheed Martin would be the principal contractor.
Ukraine uses Patriot interceptors to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks and has warned that its supplies are running low. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the authorization but said deliveries may not begin for several years, urging Washington and European allies to provide missiles from existing stockpiles and replace them later with newly manufactured interceptors.
“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,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, citing daily Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The State Department did not announce a delivery schedule. The Guardian and Al Jazeera, citing people briefed on the decision, reported that missiles yet to be manufactured may not arrive until the early 2030s. Kyiv has pressed the Pentagon to accelerate delivery after accusing US officials of holding up previously purchased interceptors.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 12 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- This version written
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