Trump administration holding up Patriot missile transfers to Ukraine — Hegseth has not signed off

The Trump administration has not approved the transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine from countries that already own the American-made weapons, the Washington Post reports, in a sign of the deepening rift between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the Post, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has neither formally rejected the transfers nor completed the steps needed to approve them. The report, citing a US official and three people familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said Mr Hegseth had continued to authorise some other forms of US assistance. Washington must sign off before American-made weapons can be re-transferred under arms agreements.

The Kyiv Independent reported on 19 October that Mr Hegseth has yet to approve a significant batch of Patriot interceptors already paid for by Ukraine’s allies. “Hegseth has the contracts for Patriot missiles on his desk. He is not signing off on them,” one Ukrainian official said.

Mr Zelenskyy told US senators on 19 October that a new missile package was “waiting for Mr Hegseth’s signature”, adding that European partners were also awaiting American approval to transfer interceptors “from their shelters, European shelters, to us”. He said Ukraine had “almost no Patriot interceptors left” and suggested “some political decision has been made to slow down support”.

A US government official disputed Kyiv’s claims, calling them “not true”. A Ukrainian official told the Post last week that only “a couple” of interceptors remained in Ukraine’s stockpile, as Russia launches near-daily ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Sources

• The Washington Post (via The Times of India): “No Patriot missiles for Ukraine? Trump holds up transfer as tensions with Zelenskyy rise” — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/no-patriot-missiles-for-ukraine-trump-holds-up-transfer-as-tensions-with-zelenskyy-rise/articleshow/135058781.cms
• Kyiv Independent: “‘It’s significant’: Ukraine fears US is withholding allied-funded air defense supplies to pressure Kyiv” — https://kyivindependent.com/its-significant-ukraine-fears-us-is-withholding-allied-funded-air-defense-supplies-to-pressure-kyiv/
• Washington Examiner: “Zelensky says Hegseth blocking missiles, still ‘no explanation’ for Starshield limits” — https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/4771630/zelensky-hegseth-patriot-missiles-starshield-ukraine/