Zelensky says Ukraine waits nearly a month for US approval on Patriot missiles

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine has waited nearly a month for US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve the transfer of Patriot and NASAMS air-defence missiles, and that he has asked his team to raise the issue again with Washington.

In a social media post on weapons supplies, Zelensky said Kyiv was working with the United States, European countries and other partners to secure PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles. He said the approval for Patriot and NASAMS transfers remained pending, and that preparations were under way for the next Ramstein-format meeting of Ukraine's allies, planned for next month.

The Washington Post reported last week that the administration of President Donald Trump had delayed approving the transfer of Patriot interceptors that Ukraine considers essential against Russian missile and drone attacks, though Hegseth had not formally rejected the proposed transfers and had yet to complete the necessary authorisation procedures, according to Euronews Albania.

Ukrainian colonel Yurii Ihnat said in an interview published Monday that the number of Patriot missiles used in the Middle East could have supported several years of combat operations in Ukraine, according to ABC News Albania. It is not known exactly how many missiles Ukraine is waiting for Hegseth to approve.