US supplies Ukraine with just 12 Patriot missiles a month as Zelenskyy accuses Trump of pressuring Kyiv to surrender

Zelenskyy accused the administration of President Donald Trump of deliberately delaying missile deliveries and pressuring Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries without offering additional air defense capabilities in return.

"We have paid for the weapons," Zelenskyy said, referring to missiles purchased under the NATO-coordinated Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program. "A part of the supplies has been authorized" by Washington, "while the rest haven't been. And this is not a technical issue."

Unlike the Biden administration, which provided the interceptors as military assistance, the Trump administration is selling them to Ukraine.

Patriot missiles in exchange for halting refinery strikes

Zelenskyy said Kyiv had proposed stopping attacks on Russian fuel infrastructure in exchange for additional Patriot missiles to defend Ukrainian cities and energy facilities against ballistic strikes.

"My latest model was: We don't target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities," he told Bloomberg.

"But they just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we strike that, they will disconnect us from something."

The Trump administration has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries, arguing that the strikes contribute to rising global diesel prices.

Zelenskyy said he believed Washington's recent actions amounted to pressure on Ukraine to surrender to Russia.

"I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate," he said. "I am not saying that this is the goal our partners are pursuing. I don't want to think that our American partners believe the war could be ended sooner at Ukraine's expense. But that's how it looks."

Relations may improve after US elections

Zelenskyy described the period ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections as particularly dangerous, but expressed hope that relations with Washington could improve afterward.

"Politics is very aggressive during election time," he said. "I think it is agony now, but after elections, life will continue and I believe it will be calmer."

The dispute comes as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

During the overnight attack on October 19, Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to Zelenskyy. Ukraine's Air Force reported that none were intercepted.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had again received no advance warning from its partners before the attack. Bloomberg separately reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that the United States had not shared an early warning of the missile launches.