Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the U.S. military is intentionally delaying the delivery of more Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine’s air defense system despite NATO already paying for them.
Zelensky made the statement during a virtual meeting with U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle as the Ukrainian leader’s relationship with President Donald Trump deteriorates.
Ukraine has depleted its stock of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, leaving the country susceptible to aerial attacks from Russia. Zelensky said his nation has “almost no Patriot interceptors left from the U.S. partners.” He blames War Secretary Pete Hegseth for the lack of military aid.
“Right now, a new missiles package is waiting for Mr. Hegseth’s signature,” Zelensky said in a video of the meeting. “And our other partners, including those in Europe, are also waiting for American approval to transfer Patriot interceptors from their shelters, European shelters, to us. So the missiles are ready, and they could already be in Ukraine. And we are grateful to America and to our partners for their willingness to help, but unfortunately there is still no approval.”
This comes on top of reports about the U.S. government limiting Ukraine’s access to intelligence sharing and the Starshield satellite network, which are useful tools for the war-torn country to detect and thwart Russian missiles. On three separate occasions in the past week, Ukraine didn’t receive early warnings about missile attacks.
“All of this suggests that some political decision has been made to slow down support for us, and this is in sharp contrast to what we are achieving on the battlefield,” Zelensky said. ”We want to understand what is happening, why it’s happening, and where all of this is heading.”
Despite Zelensky’s claims, the White House has denied that there has been any pause in intelligence sharing between the United States and Ukraine. Trump has also maintained he did not impose speed restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield. The satellite system, developed by SpaceX and utilized by the U.S. military, has faced data speed and operational restrictions that Ukrainian forces rely on for battlefield communications and drone operations. Zelensky said there is still “no explanation” for the Starshield limits.
The bipartisan group of senators that heard Zelensky’s plea was led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Zelensky thanked the two lawmakers for organizing the meeting.
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Besides meeting with senators, Zelensky spoke with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday about peace talks. The envoys asked Zelensky to stop launching strikes on Russian oil refineries, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine resumed attacking Russia’s energy facilities last week after a Trump-brokered truce that Russia did not honor.
Zelensky told the senators that he is set to meet with Witkoff and Kushner next in Oslo, Norway, where the next round of peace talks will take place.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
