Germany, Canada and Norway will finance the purchase as Zelensky urges Washington to speed up deliveries.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of State authorized the sale to Ukraine of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles for air defense batteries. The deal is estimated to cost US$2.1 billion and will not be financed by the United States but by Germany, Canada and Norway.

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The announcement comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Kiev over the U.S. decision to ease some sanctions against Russia.

In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for the decision but expressed dissatisfaction with how long it would take to implement.

“Five hundred PAC-3 interceptors are a substantial number, and very soon – this winter – they COULD make for a highly effective defense package. However, it has been stipulated that deliveries may begin ONLY IN A FEW YEARS,” he said.

“We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors,” Zelensky added, justifying his insistence by pointing to the problems his country could face during the winter as Russian troops continue to advance.

🇺🇦 Zelensky is complaining that Ukraine won’t receive 500 Patriot interceptor missiles for several years

The State Department previously approved the sale of these weapons to Kiev. But delivery dates haven’t even been estimated. They depend on whether the Pentagon has enough in… pic.twitter.com/kzLyQvW1f3

— dana (@dana916) October 31, 2026

“The U.S., our European partners, and other partners around the world have sufficient stocks of PAC-3 interceptors in their warehouses. Providing them to Ukraine right now – in the winter of 2026–2027 – and replenishing our partners’ arsenals LATER, in THE FOLLOWING YEARS, through this production already contracted and paid for by Ukraine and our partners would be the right approach. And it is entirely feasible,” the Ukrainian president said, making his desperation evident.

“We are grateful to President Trump. Importantly, we recently discussed PAC-3 interceptors with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukraine is grateful to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Administration overall for granting this authorization. But we are asking for decisions that can guarantee the protection of lives not the day after tomorrow or sometime later, but at the very moment the threat is there – when Russia is killing and destroying. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!” he concluded.

The U.S. arms sale was announced during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, which is being held in Atlanta under the chairmanship of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also attended the meeting. Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but has participated in previous editions of the forum, was not invited.

According to the State Department, the missiles, manufactured by U.S. company Lockheed Martin, will help improve “Ukraine’s ability to meet current and future threats by strengthening its integrated air and missile defense capabilities.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE