Ukraine has been waiting for almost a month for the US defense secretary to sign off on critical missile supplies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.
“In particular, we have been waiting for nearly a month for Mr Hegseth to sign off on missiles for Patriots and NASAMS. I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again,” Zelensky said on X/Twitter.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly called on the US, which supplies missiles purchased by NATO allies under a program known as PURL, to speed up deliveries ahead of winter.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that a batch of interceptors may not have been delivered, but said that the delay was not for political reasons.
I held a coordination call on the situation with weapons supplies from our partners and efforts to restore energy infrastructure following Russian strikes. Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi reported on the work underway in the regions. I thank every repair crew and all energy companies that are fully carrying out their assigned tasks. The work is continuing virtually nonstop, and we are using the equipment reserves we have built up. I expect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy, and other agencies involved to communicate in a timely and sufficient manner the need to replenish these reserves. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs reported on the supply of air defense interceptors to Ukraine, first and foremost Patriot missiles. We are working on several tracks – with the United States, Europe, and other partners that have stocks of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. In particular, we have been waiting for nearly a month for Mr. Hegseth to sign off on missiles for Patriots and NASAMS. I instructed our team to raise this with the American side once again. Conversations with other countries are also ongoing. We also discussed preparations for the November Ramstein meeting. It is important to speed up the implementation of decisions that have been on the table for some time. Every support package is an opportunity to protect people’s lives. Thank you to everyone who is providing real support and, in particular, helping speed up these critically important deliveries.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 26, 2026
Delayed missile deliveries are adding to Ukraine’s tensions with the US after US President Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticized Zelensky for Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.
Ukraine struggles with limited intelligence sharing, Starlink issues
In recent weeks, Ukraine said that at some point it experienced gaps in getting intelligence from the US on Russian missile attacks. It also reported that Starlink’s military version has been throttled for days, disrupting military operations and air defenses.
Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. Both SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and US officials have said publicly that any decisions on Starlink and Starshield limitations could only have been taken by the other.
