Zelenskyy urges Hegseth to approve transfer of 23 Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve the transfer of Patriot air defense missiles from allied countries, saying 23 interceptors remain held up by unsigned documents.
"There are a few documents that he's already signed and maybe he thinks he's signed them all, but it is not so," Zelenskyy told reporters on October 27, according to Bloomberg.
The president said Ukraine urgently needs additional air defense missiles as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, Zelenskyy also said the United States has supplied Ukraine with an average of just 12 Patriot missiles per month in 2026, far below the approximately 150 interceptors Ukraine needs monthly.
He attributed the limited US deliveries to the war in the Middle East.
The Washington Post and Kyiv Independent previously reported that Hegseth had delayed approval of transfers of Patriot interceptors already paid for by Ukraine's NATO allies.
Zelenskyy also raised the issue during a virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of US senators earlier this month, according to Axios.
The Ukrainian president has repeatedly warned that shortages of air defense missiles leave Ukrainian cities vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks.
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