Pentagon stalls Trump-promised Patriot missile production licenses for Ukraine
Production of Patriot missiles for Ukraine stalled at the Pentagon (photo: twitter.com/oleksiireznikov)
Licenses for the production of Patriot missiles for Ukraine in the US have been "stuck" at the Pentagon, according to journalist Alex Raufoglu.
The delay occurred at the US Department of Defense, despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reportedly signing the necessary documents back in October.
Two sources confirmed to the journalist that the licensing documents are currently at a standstill.
According to them, the process stalled during the tenure of Michael Duffey, who served as US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
The US Department of Defense has so far declined to officially comment on the situation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was ready to help Ukraine obtain PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems.
NATO confirmed its commitment to strengthening Ukraine's air defenses with these anti-aircraft missiles.
Meanwhile, aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap assessed the existing stocks of interceptor missiles held by Ukraine's partners.
According to him, Europe has around 200 PAC-3 missiles, although some of these have already been transferred to Ukraine.
The expert also noted that Greece is reliably known to have around 200 PAC-2 missiles, while reports of a similar number of missiles in Spain are inaccurate.
