Zelenskyy urges US to speed up Patriot deliveries

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for approving the sale of Patriot interceptors but urged Washington to fast-track the delivery of the defensive missiles.

Zelenskyy praised the “strong decision” by the U.S. to approve the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptors to counter Russian ballistic missiles — but said the years-long wait to deliver them was too long for Ukraine's urgent needs.

“It has been stipulated that deliveries may begin ONLY IN A FEW YEARS,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Facebook post on Friday night.

“We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors,” he added.

Patriot interceptors are crucial for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s ballistic missiles, amid fears that Moscow will ramp up its attacks on energy facilities to bring winter blackouts in Ukraine.

In the Facebook post, Zelenskyy said an immediate delivery of Patriot interceptors would allow Ukraine to defend its energy infrastructure during the winter season.

“Providing them to Ukraine right now – in the winter of 2026–2027 – and replenishing our partners’ arsenals LATER, in THE FOLLOWING YEARS” would be the right approach, Zelenskyy said.

The U.S. decision to sell the interceptors signals a thaw in relations between the White House and Kyiv after tensions escalated in recent months.

However, the White House said that it won't pay for the Patriot interceptors. "The estimated total cost is $2.1 billion funded entirely by partners and allies," a statement from the State Department said.