WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot air defense interceptors for Ukraine, after Kyiv accused the Pentagon of delaying the missiles, the Associated Press reported via KTAR News.
The State Department said the missiles are being purchased with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through a U.S. program and that no American funds are involved.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country,” the department said. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor, CBS News reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned this month that his country had nearly run out of the interceptors it needs to stop Russian ballistic missiles. He had also said U.S. intelligence warnings were interrupted and Starlink service was throttled; Ukraine says both have been restored.
Zelenskyy cautioned that deliveries could take years and pointed to more than 30 Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system in two weeks, CBS News reported.
Patriot systems are among the few air defenses able to intercept ballistic missiles, and demand from Ukraine and other countries has strained production.
Sources: Associated Press via KTAR News, CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Lance Cpl. Alyssa Chuluda / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
