US delays Patriot missiles Ukraine has already paid for, Zelenskyy says
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
The US is supplying Ukraine with only 12 Patriot missiles per month, approximately four times fewer than under the Biden administration. Some shipments that Ukraine has already paid for have still not been approved, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Bloomberg.
Patriot missiles are the main means of defense against Russian ballistic missiles, which cause the greatest damage to the infrastructure of Ukrainian cities. Ukraine buys them from the US, including through the PURL program, under which allies pay for American weapons for Ukraine.
"We have paid for the weapons. A part of the supplies has been authorized, while the rest haven’t been. And this is not a technical issue," Zelenskyy stressed.
Ukraine is currently receiving only 12 Patriot missiles per month. Under Joe Biden's administration, the pace was approximately four times higher, and at that time, the missiles were also provided free of charge as military aid. Under Trump, Ukraine buys them.
Zelenskyy proposed a deal to Washington: Ukraine would not strike Russian diesel fuel facilities, and the US would provide Patriot missiles to protect Ukrainian facilities.
"But they just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we strike that, they will disconnect us from something," the president said.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against ballistic missiles. According to CNN, the country has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles again, so it was unable to repel the latest massive ballistic missile attack.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is collecting missiles one or two at a time directly from the leaders of other countries, and only the US can assist on a large scale.
European countries are not helping either. Greece and Spain refused to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles, even though some of their missiles are approaching their expiration dates.
