US clears $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, but delivery is years away
The State Department approved the possible sale of PAC-3 interceptors paid for with Canadian, German, Norwegian and EU-financed funds. The missiles have yet to be built.
The United States has approved the possible sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 air-defence missiles to Ukraine, with parts and support, for an estimated $2.1 billion, the State Department announced on Friday, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. It is one of the largest steps to supply Kyiv with defensive weapons since President Donald Trump's second term began in January 2025.
Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway through a programme called US JUMPSTART, along with national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan, the State Department said in its statement, as reported by Al Jazeera. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor.
The missiles have not yet been made, and two people briefed on the decision told Reuters they are not expected to be delivered until a couple of years into the 2030s. Lockheed has said it plans to triple PAC-3 production capacity by the end of 2030.
Delays over US missile supplies have strained relations between Washington and Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine had waited almost a month for US sign-off on critical supplies. Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone strike on Thursday killed at least 14 people at a railway platform in Dnipro.
The long wait reflects a worldwide backlog in air-defence interceptors, heightened by demand from the Iran conflict, in a market where India is also a large buyer as it expands its own air-defence network.
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