US Withholds Approval for Ukraine's 'Last Resort' Patriot Missiles

The US Donald Trump administration is delaying approval for providing Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, the US daily Washington Post reported on October 19, local time.

According to sources, including one US official, approval from US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is being delayed for at least a portion of the Patriot transfer quantities held by allied nations.

Under contract conditions, countries supplied with US-made weapons must obtain approval from the US government before re-transferring them to a third country.

According to officials, Secretary Hegseth has neither officially rejected the missile transfer approval request nor completed the procedures necessary for approval.

However, officials noted that Secretary Hegseth continues to approve other forms of support for Ukraine.

This move comes amid observations that while President Trump pushes for a major deal with Russia, he is reducing support for Ukraine and pressuring it to end the war.

The Ukrainian English-language newspaper The Kyiv Independent also reported, citing domestic authorities and military officials, that Secretary Hegseth has not approved a significant transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles.

The outlet reported that suspicions are growing within Ukraine that the US may be intentionally withholding missile supplies as a tool for pressure.

Ukraine needs interceptor missiles, including Patriots, to fend off Russian attacks, but its stockpiles are running dry.

As of last week, a Ukrainian official stated that interceptor missile reserves were down to "just a couple."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia on October 19, stating that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 16 ballistic missiles, and claimed there was no support from the US.


He stated, "There were several more Russian ballistic missile attacks overnight, and once again, there was no warning from our partners," suggesting that US intelligence support was not functioning properly.

He went on to criticize, "If missile deliveries for Ukraine's air defense are blocked while sanctions against Russia are eased or delayed, this unfortunately means our partners are ignoring reality."

Speaking to reporters at the White House on the same day, President Trump said, "Zelenskyy is not doing a very good job of helping the situation. I think he doesn't want to stop the war."

Criticizing Zelenskyy, he added, "I think it's time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."

The Washington Post reported that while the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy was positive as recently as their New York meeting last month, it has deteriorated again recently.

Ukrainian officials claimed that US support delays are making it difficult to block Russian attacks, leading to casualties.

It was also reported that Ukraine's ballistic missile early warning system, which relies on US intelligence, has faced repeated disruptions.

Meanwhile, the US side maintains that it has never cut off intelligence sharing.

When asked if the US continues to share intelligence with Ukraine, President Trump replied, "We share intelligence. We share a lot. We’ve given Ukraine a lot. They haven't given us anything."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on October 19 that intelligence sharing with Ukraine "has never stopped."

Referring to President Zelenskyy, he stated, "What we are trying to focus on is ending this war. He needs to focus on that too."

According to the Washington Post, regarding Ukraine's claim that there was no prior warning during recent attacks, Secretary Rubio claimed that a "software issue" had occurred and that the US European Command (EUCOM) is investigating it.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.