KATHMANDU: The United States has approved a proposed sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine worth an estimated $2.1 billion, as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its air defences against intensified Russian attacks.
The US State Department approved the potential sale of advanced Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that it could take years for the missiles to reach Ukraine.
The purchase will be funded entirely by Ukraine’s European allies and Canada, rather than by the United States. The proposed financing includes contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway through the US JUMPSTART programme, along with Ukrainian funds supported by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.
US defence contractor Lockheed Martin will be the principal contractor. The State Department said the proposed sale would support US foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening a partner that contributes to political and economic stability in Europe.
Zelenskyy renewed his appeal to Washington on Friday night to speed up the supply of Patriot missiles. He has described the system as the only effective weapon available to Ukraine for intercepting Russia’s deadly ballistic missiles.
The latest approval follows a period of strained relations between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. Tensions had increased after Washington eased some sanctions on Russia as part of an arrangement to secure diesel supplies, while Trump also questioned whether Ukraine needed new leadership to end the war.
Relations appeared to ease somewhat after Zelenskyy’s talks with US representatives in Oslo on October 20.
In a statement on Friday, the US State Department said the proposed sale would strengthen the security of a partner country that plays a role in maintaining political and economic stability in Europe.
The department also clarified that no US government funds would be used for the purchase.
Ukraine urgently needs the interceptors
Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine had been waiting nearly a month for US approval of the critical missile supplies. He warned that the country’s stock of Patriot interceptors was running dangerously low.
In a post on X on Friday night, he welcomed the US announcement but stressed that Ukraine needed the missiles immediately.
He also said Russia had intensified attacks on Ukraine’s key energy infrastructure ahead of winter. According to Zelenskyy, Russian forces had carried out more than 30 attacks on critical parts of the country’s electricity transmission system over the previous two weeks.
Despite the approval, the missiles are unlikely to arrive quickly. The order is understood to involve newly manufactured interceptors rather than missiles already held in existing stockpiles.
The production schedule has not been made public. According to the US Department of Defense figures cited in the report, around 600 Patriot missiles are produced annually, while global demand remains high.
The United States has also been using the interceptors in its military operations against Iran, adding pressure to already limited supplies.
European diplomats protest Lavrov’s presence at G20 meeting
Meanwhile, European diplomats refused to stand for the official group photograph at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, in protest against the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The meeting is being hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband directly addressed Lavrov, saying: “I want to say clearly to the Russian foreign minister: we all know who the aggressor in this war is.”
Miliband criticised the Russian government over the killing of innocent civilians in Ukraine.
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