Ukraine suspects U.S. deliberately delaying Patriot interceptor deliveries
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Pete Hegseth (Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to approve the
transfer of a significant shipment of interceptor
missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems, raising suspicions that
Washington is deliberately delaying the weapons to pressure Kyiv, The
Kyiv Independent reported on Oct. 19, citing sources.
One senior Ukrainian official and two military officials
said the Pentagon chief is holding up deliveries of Patriot missiles, which
Ukraine relies on to intercept ballistic missiles.
“Contracts for Patriot missiles are on Hegseth’s desk; he is
not signing them,” one Ukrainian official said, adding that Kyiv’s allies had
already paid for the missiles.
The officials described the suspected delay as another
example of political pressure that could endanger civilian lives.
A senior Ukrainian military official said Kyiv receives
Patriot interceptors through several channels. One of the main mechanisms is
the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) program, through which allies
finance the purchase of weapons from the United States.
Ukrainian officials declined to disclose the country’s
current stockpile of interceptor missiles, citing operational security.
“[Ukraine] never discloses how many weapons we have so the
enemy does not know the situation,” one source said.
Another senior Ukrainian official described the shipment
reportedly awaiting Hegseth’s approval as “significant.”
“It is difficult to call it a ‘monthly delivery’ because
there is no established quota for how many are needed each month; however, it
is a substantial amount,” the source said.
The broader delivery program remains less clear. A NATO
official said deliveries under the PURL program, including air defense
equipment, are continuing.
Another alliance official acknowledged that some deliveries
could face delays but said political reasons were unlikely to explain them.
Ukrainian officials, however, believe the delay is a
political decision rather than a routine logistical problem.
“It appears to be a political refusal to sign [the contracts],”
one Ukrainian official said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that Ukraine
receives only 12 missiles for its Patriot air defense systems each month, about
one-fourth the number it received during the administration of President Joe
Biden.
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