Ukraine is waiting for Patriot missiles. Only Hegseth's signature is missing

“We are operating on several levels: with the United States, Europe, and other partners who have stocks of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. In particular, for nearly a month, we have been waiting for Mr Hegseth’s signature regarding missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS systems,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Monday, 26 October. These issues will be discussed again with the American side. Simultaneously, talks with other partners are ongoing.

The lack of approval was confirmed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who admitted last week that this information might be true. The missiles were purchased as early as last year under the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) programme, which was launched last year within NATO. It allows member states to finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition from American stocks and subsequently transfer them to Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported on 19 October that the US administration has not approved the transfer of interceptor missiles to Ukraine. These are essential for protection against Russian attacks using ballistic missiles. The missiles have already been paid for by countries supporting Ukraine; however, the American side – in this case, Pete Hegseth – has not completed the required formalities for the transfer to be approved.