Zelensky says Ukraine still awaits US sign-off on air-defence missiles

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine had waited nearly a month for US defence secretary Pete Hegseth to sign off on missiles for its Patriot and NASAMS air-defence systems. He said he had instructed his team to raise the matter with the US again. The request concerns interceptor missiles, not complete air-defence systems.

Zelensky said Ukraine was also talking to European governments and other partners with stocks of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems. He did not say how many missiles were awaiting approval or identify the individual orders.

The Kyiv Independent reported on 19 October that unnamed Ukrainian officials and military officers said Hegseth had not approved a substantial batch of Patriot interceptors paid for by allies. A US government official disputed their account, calling it “not true”. A NATO official told the newspaper that deliveries through an allied-funded programme, including air-defence equipment, were continuing. Those broader deliveries would not rule out a delay to a particular batch.

Asked on 20 October whether a European-funded batch was awaiting Hegseth’s signature, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said it “could be the case”, according to a State Department transcript reproduced by Forth. He cited competing demand for interceptors from US bases and other partners, and rejected the suggestion of a deliberate political directive to harm Ukraine. His answer did not settle whether the approval Zelensky described was still pending on Monday, or why.