Zelenskyy says Ukraine is waiting almost a month for Hegseth to sign off on Patriot missiles

Approval still pending

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is seeking authorization to procure interceptors for its Patriot and NASAMS systems. He described the wait as nearly a month and said his team would bring the issue to US officials again.

The president also said discussions with other countries were continuing. Ukraine receives many air-defense interceptors through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, under which allies and partners purchase US weapons for transfer to Kyiv.

The number of interceptors awaiting approval and the reason for the delay are not known. A senior Pentagon official told Business Insider that department policy on intelligence sharing and support for European capabilities had not changed, and said the PURL initiative remained unchanged.

Shortages strain defenses

Ukraine has repeatedly faced shortages of interceptors as Russian ballistic missile attacks intensify. The Patriot system is described as the country’s most reliable defense against those missiles and a central part of Kyiv’s air defenses.

Ukrainian officials have sought additional PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors from the United States, European countries and other partners holding stocks. Zelenskyy said those efforts were proceeding along several tracks.

Wider strains with Washington

The NASAMS system, developed jointly by the United States and Norway, also contributes to Ukraine’s air defenses. Unlike Patriot, it is intended to engage aircraft, cruise missiles and drones rather than ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy’s remarks came amid rising tensions between Kyiv and Washington. The Trump administration has criticized Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy facilities and blamed Kyiv for high oil and diesel prices, while industry experts have pointed to the Iran war as a major disruption to global markets.

Ukraine has also reported other interruptions involving international support. In October, officials said partners had failed on several occasions to provide advance warning of Russian ballistic missile launches through usual channels; the apparent intelligence-sharing pause ended after a few days.

Satellite service concerns

Earlier this month, Ukraine experienced a sudden disruption to Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Sources in Kyiv’s defense ministry said speed limits affected drone operations, logistics and communications.

On Saturday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said monitoring systems showed speeds had recovered for Starshield and Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial satellite service. The disruption alarmed Ukrainian officials. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Kyiv had violated Starlink’s terms by using the civilian service for drone strikes, arguing that this led to the interruption. Some of Ukraine’s senior drone advisers rejected that explanation.