Ukraine claims US missile holdup ahead of talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the US of deliberately delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles to his war-torn country ahead of reported talks with a top US envoy yesterday.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured over military aid and intelligence sharing, with Zelenskiy saying on Monday that Ukraine received no early warning of powerful Russian missile strikes that targeted energy facilities in the capital region.

US-led diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled in the past few months, as Washington has shifted focus toward the war with Iran.

A woman stands at a site of a house destroyed during a Russian airstrike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Monday.

Photo: Reuters

Zelenskiy on Monday told US senators that “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles” already paid for by European countries, and that the shipment was waiting for US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s signature.

He said several European countries were ready to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles, but were still awaiting US approval.

“The missiles are ready, and they could already be in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said. “But unfortunately, there is still no approval.”

The US has denied making any changes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has also denied ordering a reduction in speeds on the US government-owned and controlled Starshield network after Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX developed it, said the order could only have come from the White House.

A public rift erupted between Trump and Zelenskiy when the US leader partially lifted sanctions to strike a diesel-supply deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump also slammed Zelenskiy as a warmonger for Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.

“Zelenskiy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said on Monday in another attack on his Ukrainian counterpart. “To be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”

Trump said he was ready to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in China next month to discuss denuclearization, adding that talks could also cover the Ukraine war — fueling fears in Kyiv that it was being sidelined.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed earlier that “the topic of such a hypothetical has indeed been mentioned” when asked about a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that Trump, Putin and Xi could meet.

News outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff was yesterday traveling to Oslo to meet Zelenskiy and European leaders, and then to Russia to meet Putin.