Ukraine says US held missile approval for month

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Monday that the United States has delayed signing off on critical air defense missiles for nearly 30 days. He said this delay leaves Ukraine waiting for hardware while Russian forces intensify strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure.

Zelensky posted on X that he has been waiting for almost a month for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS systems. He instructed his team to raise the issue with American officials again to push for a resolution.

The United States supplies these interceptors to NATO allies through a program called PURL. Zelensky has repeatedly asked Washington to accelerate deliveries before winter arrives. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that a batch of interceptors may not have been delivered yet. Rubio stated that the delay was not for political reasons.

The missile delay follows other points of friction between the two governments. President Donald Trump recently announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticized Zelensky for not halting attacks on Russian refineries. These diplomatic strains have coincided with operational issues on the ground.

Ukraine reported gaps in US intelligence sharing regarding Russian missile attacks in recent weeks. The country also experienced days of throttled access to the military version of Starlink, a disruption that affected air defenses and military operations. Reuters reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and US officials have publicly said the decision could only have come from the other party.