Zelensky says Ukraine has waited nearly a month for US to approve air defense missiles

Delayed interceptors for Patriot and NASAMS systems were already paid for by Kyiv's allies

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published26 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Ukraine has been waiting nearly a month for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for its Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 26, warning that the holdup affects interceptor missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for.

Speaking on Oct. 26, Zelensky said the delay, first reported by the Kyiv Independent, affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already funded. He said he had again raised the matter with the American side.

"I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again," Zelensky said.

Ukraine relies on Patriot systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to stop, making timely deliveries critical to the country's air defenses.

Ukraine obtains Patriot interceptors through several channels, including NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism through which Kyiv's allies fund weapons purchases from the United States, according to a senior Ukrainian military official. Zelensky has said the U.S. delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month. A senior Ukrainian official previously told the Kyiv Independent that the batch awaiting Hegseth's approval was "significant."

The report also notes recent repeated disruptions to Ukraine's early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. intelligence. American officials have attributed the outages, which have occurred several times in the past, to "bad weather conditions."

Kyiv has also faced problems with the military-grade Starlink service, Starshield, which have severely hampered Ukrainian drone operations, including the use of interceptor drones to counter Russian jet-powered attack drones. Ukrainian officials have described the delays and disruptions as another example of political pressure from Washington that could put civilian lives at risk.

RSS

The Daily Edition

The front page in your inbox each weekday morning: the lead, the picks, and why each one earned its place.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Patriot and NASAMS interceptors are Ukraine's main defense against Russian ballistic missiles, which are hard to shoot down and can cause heavy civilian casualties.
The delay affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for, meaning funding is not the obstacle and raising questions about the reason for the hold-up.
Ukrainian officials frame the disruptions as political pressure from Washington, with potential consequences for civilian safety as Russian missile strikes continue.

Background

Patriot and NASAMS are Western-made air defense systems that Ukraine uses to protect cities and critical infrastructure from Russian missile attacks. Interceptor missiles are supplied through allied funding arrangements, including NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, which lets partner countries pay the United States for equipment on Ukraine's behalf. The U.S. is also a key supplier of intelligence that gives Ukraine early warning of incoming ballistic missiles.

Key Perspectives

Volodymyr Zelensky: Says Ukraine has been waiting nearly a month for Hegseth's approval of the missiles, called the batch awaiting approval significant, and has instructed his team to press the American side again.

Ukrainian officials: Describe the missile delays and early-warning disruptions as another example of U.S. political pressure that could put civilian lives at risk.

American officials: Attribute repeated outages in Ukraine's early-warning systems to "bad weather conditions."

What to Watch

Whether U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approves the batch of Patriot and NASAMS interceptor missiles and how quickly they arrive.
Whether disruptions to Ukraine's early-warning systems continue or are explained further by U.S. officials.
Whether the reported Starshield service problems affecting Ukrainian drone operations are resolved or escalate.

Sources

US holding up air defense missiles for Ukraine for nearly a month, Zelensky says · Kyiv Independent

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedUkraine had waited nearly a month for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for its Patriot and NASAMS air-defense systems, Zelensky said on Oct. 26.Kyiv Independent: “Ukraine has been waiting nearly a month for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for its Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Oct. 26.”
SupportedThe delayed missiles had already been paid for by Ukraine’s allies.Kyiv Independent: “The delay, first reported by the Kyiv Independent, affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for.”
SupportedThe delay was first reported by the Kyiv Independent.Kyiv Independent: “The delay, first reported by the Kyiv Independent, affects missiles that Ukraine's allies have already paid for.”
SupportedZelensky said, “I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again.”Kyiv Independent: “"I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again," Zelensky said.”
Partly supportedZelensky said he had again raised the matter with the American side.Kyiv Independent: “"I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again," Zelensky said.”
SupportedPatriot systems are used to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to stop, making timely deliveries critical to Ukraine’s air defenses.Kyiv Independent: “Ukraine relies on Patriot systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to stop, making timely deliveries critical to the country's air defenses .”
SupportedA senior Ukrainian military official said Ukraine obtains Patriot interceptors through several channels, including PURL, which lets Kyiv’s allies fund U.S. weapons purchases.Kyiv Independent: “Ukraine obtains Patriot interceptors through several channels, including NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism through which Kyiv's allies fund weapons purchases from the United States , a senior Ukrainian military official said.”
SupportedZelensky has said the U.S. delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month.Kyiv Independent: “Zelensky has said the U.S. delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month.”
SupportedA senior Ukrainian official previously described the batch awaiting Hegseth’s approval as “significant.”Kyiv Independent: “A senior Ukrainian official previously told the Kyiv Independent that the batch awaiting Hegseth's approval was "significant."”
SupportedUkraine recently experienced repeated disruptions to early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles that rely on U.S. intelligence; American officials attributed the outages to bad weather.Kyiv Independent: “Ukraine has also recently experienced repeated disruptions to its early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. intelligence. American officials have attributed the outages, which have occurred several times in the past, to "bad weather conditions."”
SupportedProblems with Starshield have severely hampered Ukrainian drone operations, including interceptor-drone use against Russian jet-powered attack drones.Kyiv Independent: “Kyiv has also had problems with military-grade Starlink service, Starshield, which have severely hampered Ukrainian drone operations, including the use of interceptor drones to counter Russian jet-powered attack drones.”
SupportedUkrainian officials described the delays and disruptions as political pressure from Washington that could put civilian lives at risk.Kyiv Independent: “Ukrainian officials have described the delays and disruptions as another example of political pressure from Washington that could put civilian lives at risk.”