US approves Ukraine Patriot sale as Zelenskyy warns of years-long wait

The US approved a proposed sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine, valued at an estimated $2.1bn, according to the Guardian’s 31 October 2026 report. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the approval but warned deliveries might not begin for years. The state department gave no delivery timetable.

Zelenskyy urged American and European partners to supply interceptors from existing stockpiles, saying Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure made them urgently necessary. Two people briefed on the decision told the Guardian that the missiles still needed to be manufactured and were not expected until the early 2030s. Funding was to combine Canadian, German and Norwegian contributions with Ukrainian national funds financed through an EU loan.

The report highlights a gap between approving weapons purchases and meeting Ukraine’s immediate air-defence needs. It describes Patriot as the most effective system against fast-moving ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy argued that allies could bridge the delay with existing inventories, but the article also reported concerns about US stocks following supplies to allies and operations in Iran.