U.S. approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine
The State Department approved on Friday the sale of 500 Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine at a cost $2.1 billion.
In a statement released Friday, the State Department said the purchase will be paid for by Ukraine with donations from Canada and European allies such as Germany and Norway, and that no U.S. funds are involved in the sale.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe," the department said. It also added the principal contractor in this agreement is Lockheed Martin and that there would be "no adverse impact" on U.S. defense readiness.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lauded the decision, and thanked President Trump, but warned that it may take years for the munitions to be delivered to Ukraine.
"We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger," Zelenskyy appealed on Friday evening.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said there had been more than 30 Russian strikes on his country's energy infrastructure in the past two weeks, targeting "the systems that sustain life in our cities and communities."
He appealed to the United States and European allies to provide Ukraine with the Patriot systems currently in their own stockpiles and replenish their arsenals with these 500 missiles, purchased by Ukraine, in the coming years.
"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," Zelenskyy added.
Ukraine has long warned of dwindling supplies of Patriots, which it uses to intercept strikes from Russia, and has previously accused the U.S. of slowing down deliveries of the critical missiles.
The development comes amid ongoing tensions between Ukraine's president and Mr. Trump, who faced criticism for waiving new sanctions on Russia just days before they were expected to take effect.
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Ceasefire begins in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town as strikes on Kyiv continue
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