US approves $2.1bn Patriot missile sale to Ukraine, funded by European allies

Washington has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine at a cost of $2.1 billion, the US State Department announced Friday, authorising a transfer Kyiv has pressed for as Russia intensifies strikes on energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

The State Department said the purchase would be "funded entirely" by Ukraine's allies — Canada, Germany and Norway — through the JUMPSTART programme and national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan. No US funds are involved, the statement said. Lockheed Martin is named as the principal contractor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that his country had been waiting almost a month for US sign-off on the supplies, and has repeatedly warned that Ukraine is running critically low on Patriots. In a Telegram post on Friday he reported that Russian ballistic missiles had struck two Ukrainian regions earlier that day.

The approval follows a public row between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, in which Trump said Ukraine should seek a new leader to end the war.

Delivery timelines remain uncertain. The order is for new-build missiles rather than existing stock. US Department of Defence figures put annual Patriot production at around 600 missiles, and production schedules for these interceptors are lengthy. A global shortage of the munitions has been aggravated by their use in US operations against Iran.