Ukraine waits for US to ship Patriot missiles, but Hegseth reportedly put them on hold

The Washington Post quoted government sources on the 19th as saying that U.S. Secretary of War (Defense) Pete Hegseth put on hold an order to ship advanced Patriot missile systems to Ukraine at a difficult time when Ukraine was facing intensive Russian air strikes.

The report pointed out that although Hegseth did not complete the necessary procedures for approving the shipment, he did not formally refuse to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, and continued to approve the supply of other U.S. aid projects.

The large-scale U.S. military operation against Iran has put great pressure on Patriot stocks, which has also affected the number of stocks held by Ukraine. It has forced Kyiv and its allies to seek supplies around the world and try to push countries with surplus to help. However, according to the agreement, overseas countries that accept American-made patriots must obtain the consent of the United States before transferring them to other countries, which makes at least some of the transportation requirements of friendly countries to Ukraine blocked in the hands of Hegseth.

In this regard, senior Pentagon officials stated that "the policy of the Department of War has not changed regarding intelligence sharing and any support the United States allows Europe to provide to Ukraine." U.S. officials stated that Washington continues to play a constructive role in coordinating cooperation between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, and the operation of the PURL mechanism remains unchanged.