Zelenskyy Reports Month-Long U.S. Delay on Air Defense Missiles

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has waited nearly a month for U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to approve the supply of interceptor missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems. Zelenskyy has instructed Ukrainian officials to resume talks with the United States and other partners to resolve a critical deficit of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles.

U.S. officials stated that the transfer of these systems from partner countries requires Hegseth's formal approval under export control rules. While Hegseth has not formally rejected the applications, he has not yet signed them.

This administrative delay occurs amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between Washington and Kyiv. The two nations are currently experiencing disagreements regarding Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.