Trump administration rejects transfer of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, WP reports
Photo: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth (Getty Images)
The Trump administration has not approved the transfer of missile defense systems to Ukraine that are needed to protect against Russian missile attacks. The issue concerns Patriot interceptor missiles, reports The Washington Post.
According to a US official and three other sources, at least some of the Patriot missiles are being supplied to Ukraine by countries that require approval from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth before transferring them.
The reason is that these weapons are manufactured by the US and supplied abroad under an agreement stipulating that transfers to other countries require US approval.
Against this backdrop, sources told WP that Hegseth has not officially rejected the transfer of Patriots to Ukraine but has failed to take the necessary steps to approve it.
Sources claim that the Pentagon chief continues to approve some US aid to Ukraine.
Problems with Patriots and US restrictions
A few days ago, CNN reported that Ukraine had run out of Patriot interceptor missiles to defend against Russian air attacks. Against this backdrop, Ukraine was unable to intercept most of the ballistic missiles during one of the latest attacks.
On October 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an online conversation with a group of senators from both parties, urging them to pressure the Trump administration to restore intelligence sharing and weapons supplies.
He informed them about the restrictions on Starlink and Starshield, the lack of intelligence sharing on ballistic missiles (information had been unavailable at least three times already), and also said that Hegseth was not approving the supply of Patriot missiles and AIM-9X missiles for NASAMS air defense systems.
