31.10.2026 13:20
The US approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine against Russia’s increasing air strikes. The US Department of State announced that the cost of the $2.1 billion PAC-3 interceptor missiles would be “fully financed” by Kyiv’s allies in Europe and Canada. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, warned that the delivery of the missiles could take “several years.”
The Patriot sale approved by the US is seen as an important step for Ukraine to replenish its air defense munitions, which have fallen to a critical level. However, the fact that the order is for newly produced missiles indicates that a rapid delivery to Ukraine is unlikely.
“NO US FUNDS WERE USED”
In a statement on October 30, the US Department of State announced that “this proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening the security of an ally country that contributes to political and economic stability in Europe.”
The statement noted that “Ukraine will cover this purchase with donations made by Canada, Germany and Norway through the JUMPSTART program and national funds, and these resources are financed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.” The statement, which recorded that the main contractor of the sale would be the US company Lockheed Martin, emphasized that “no US funds are being used in this sale.”
The Patriot system is seen as the only effective weapon capable of shooting down Russia’s ballistic missiles, which have caused many deaths.
ZELENSKY: WE NEED PATRIOT NOW
Zelensky said earlier this week that Ukraine had been waiting for US approval for the missile supply, which has critically dwindled, for about a month. In a post late on Friday, October 30, on his X account, Zelensky welcomed the US announcement but said Ukraine needed Patriot missiles “now.”
Noting that Russia has intensified attacks on key energy infrastructure before winter, Zelensky claimed that “more than 30 Russian attacks” had been carried out on “critical points” of Ukraine’s electricity grid in the past two weeks.
ONLY 600 MISSILES ARE PRODUCED PER YEAR
Although Kyiv urgently needs missile interception systems, there is a global munitions shortage because the US is using these systems in the war against Iran. The production schedule for Patriot missiles is not yet clear. However, it appears that the order was placed for new production rather than existing missiles.
According to the US Department of Defense, production times for Patriot missiles are quite long, and only 600 missiles are produced per year. In July, Trump said they had “not agreed” to grant Ukraine a production license for Patriot missiles. This statement came 3 weeks after such a right was offered to Ukraine.
TENSION HAD ARISEN BETWEEN TRUMP AND ZELENSKY
The approval came after a disagreement between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in early October. The disagreement began when the US eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for obtaining diesel fuel from Russia. Trump had said it was time for Ukraine to find a new leader to make a deal to end the war with Russia. Tension decreased after Zelensky’s meetings with US envoys in Oslo on October 20.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having previously seized Crimea and parts of the Donbas region in the east.
LAVROV PROTEST AT G20
Meanwhile, at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Atlanta, European diplomats refused to take part in the official family photo to protest the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Addressing Lavrov, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said, “I want to say this directly to the Russian Foreign Minister: we all know who the aggressor is in this war.” Miliband held the Russian government responsible for the deaths of civilians in Ukraine.