US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine

The United States has approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine to help it counter Russia's growing aerial attacks.

The US State Department said the advanced PAC-3 interceptor missiles will cost $2.1 billion. European countries and Canada will pay the full amount, and no US money will be spent on the sale.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned, however, that the missiles could take 'several years' to reach Ukraine. On Friday night he again urged the United States to supply Patriots quickly.

Ukraine considers the Patriot the only weapon effective at shooting down Russia's deadly ballistic missiles. In a post on X on Friday night Zelenskyy welcomed the US announcement but said Ukraine needs the missiles 'right now'.

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of stepping up attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure ahead of winter. In the past two weeks Russian forces have carried out more than 30 strikes on important parts of the country's power supply system, he said.

In its Friday statement the US State Department said the proposed sale would enhance the security of a partner country that serves as a force for political and economic stability in Europe, and would support US foreign policy and national security goals.

According to the statement, Ukraine will buy the missiles with donation funds from Canada, Germany and Norway. The money will come through the Jumpstart programme and national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine support loan. The main contractor for the delivery will be the US company Lockheed Martin.

The announcement comes after a dispute earlier this month between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. Washington had eased sanctions on Moscow as part of a deal to secure diesel supplies from Russia, creating tension between the two leaders. Trump said at the time that Ukraine needed new leadership to reach a deal to end the war.

Tensions eased somewhat after Zelenskyy met US envoys in Oslo on 20 October. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after earlier seizing Crimea and parts of the Donbas.

Earlier this week Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been waiting for almost a month for approval of this important missile delivery, and that the country's missile stocks had fallen alarmingly low.

There is also a global shortage of Patriot missiles. Heavy US use in the war against Iran has created a supply shortfall. Under this order the missiles will be newly manufactured rather than drawn from existing stocks, so rapid delivery is unlikely.

Patriot missiles take a long time to build. According to the US Department of Defense, only 600 are produced per year. Earlier in July Trump said Washington had 'not agreed' to license Ukraine to build Patriots, although just three weeks before that he had proposed giving Ukraine that right.