US Approves $2.1bn Sale of 500 Patriot Missiles to Ukraine
The State Department cleared a possible package of PAC-3 interceptors for Kyiv. Two people briefed on the decision say delivery is not expected until the 2030s.
The United States has approved the possible sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, the State Department announced on Friday.
The package covers missiles, parts and support. It would be one of the most significant steps to supply defensive weapons to Kyiv since President Donald Trump's second term began in January 2025.
Who pays and who builds
Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway, made through a programme called US JUMPSTART. National funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan will be used as well, the State Department said.
Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor. In July the US Army awarded the company a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. Lockheed has said the deal lets it keep a promise to triple PAC-3 production capacity by the end of 2030. It has previously announced that output of the interceptors would reach 2,000 units a year.
Years until delivery
Kyiv is unlikely to get the interceptors soon. Two people briefed on the decision said the missiles have yet to be made and are not expected to be delivered until a couple of years into the 2030s. Weapons sales typically take years to fulfil.
Ukraine has long said it urgently needs more interceptors to shoot down the growing waves of missiles Russia fires at the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv had waited almost a month for Washington to sign off on critical missile supplies, while Russia stepped up attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure.
Delayed deliveries have stoked tension between the two countries. Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Zelenskyy for his unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.
On Thursday a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the city of Dnipro. Five more people died in daytime strikes on two other cities, and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in Kyiv, officials said.
The US military's large supplies to allies and its own heavy use of munitions in operations in Iran have raised concerns about stocks of key air defence and precision-guided weapons. Pentagon negotiators are pressing contractors to speed up production.
Source: Al Jazeera