Trump agrees to send 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine - but they may not get there before 2032

Donald Trump has agreed to send hundreds of Patriot missiles to Ukraine – but they may not arrive until 2032. The US President has approved the sale of 500 vital mobile interceptor surface-to-air (SAM) missile systems after Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with Western leaders to speed up deliveries. However the Ukrainian President warned it could take years before they arrive despite being 'very persistent' in pressing Mr Trump to provide him with more Patriot missiles. The US State Department has said the deal for the advanced PAC-3 interceptor systems will cost $2.1billion (£1.6billion) but would be 'funded entirely' by Canada and Europe. Mr Zelensky praised the 'strong decision', adding that he was 'grateful', but said the deal 'stipulates deliveries may begin only in a few years'. He said he had asked Washington to provide a 'winter support package' of 100 Patriot interceptors per month as Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continue 'every single day' and that 500 missiles 'would be enough to protect our skies'. But the Ukrainian president added: '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 – when Russia is killing and destroying.' Mr Zelensky suggested the US and European allies could give Ukraine missiles they have stockpiled now, which would later be replenished by this new purchase. Donald Trump has answered Volodymyr Zelensky's pleas and agreed to send 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine Patriot systems can detect, track and engage unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range and tactical ballistic missilesPatriot missiles are among the most important weapons Ukraine has to intercept Russian drones and missiles.Washington's approval, which goes to Congress for review, comes after weeks of complaints by Ukrainian authorities that its supplies of the interceptor missiles were dwindling.Mr Zelensky had earlier this month urged Europe to 'unblock' the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles, saying allies 'need to continue supporting Ukrainian combat aviation to defend against jet-powered 'shaheds' [Russian drones]'.But the US State Department said of the new deal: 'The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by improving its integrated air and missile defense capabilities.'Officials did not provide an estimate for when the weapons could be delivered to Ukraine.The State Department added: '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.' US-Ukraine tensions spiked earlier this month after Washington struck a diesel fuel deal with Russia. Ukraine also said that the US was slowing its access to satellite internet services and had stopped some intelligence sharing.Tensions eased after Zelensky held talks with US envoys in Oslo on October 20.The State Department said the weapons sale would be paid for with donations from Ukraine's allies but not with US funds.The $2.1billion deal would be one of the most significant steps to supply defensive weapons to Kyiv since the start of the second Trump administration. Delayed missile deliveries have added ⁠to Ukraine's tensions with the US after Mr Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and Mr Zelensky criticised Ukraine's unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.Ukraine has long said it urgently needs more missile interceptors to knock down the growing waves of missiles Russia's military fires at the country. The Patriot missile system is the most effective weapon to counter fast-moving ballistic missiles.On Thursday, a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, while five died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in Kyiv.Mr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine had been waiting for almost a month for the US to sign off on critical missile supplies, as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. A US soldier conducts maintenance on an MIM-104 Patriot missile system, the army's primary terminal-phase anti-ballistic missile system, at an undisclosed location in the Middle East The deal comes after Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with allies to supply Ukraine with more Patriot missiles, which are vital to Ukraine's defence But despite Ukraine's urgency, it will likely not receive the missile interceptors quickly. Weapons sales typically take years to fulfill, and two people briefed on the US decision said the missiles – which are yet to be manufactured – are not expected to be delivered until a couple of years into the 2030s.One of the people said Ukraine's Ministry of Defense is encouraging the Pentagon to bring forward the delivery date, possibly by giving Kyiv missiles already in the US arsenal and backfilling with the new Patriot interceptors.Ukraine will pay for the missiles with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through a programme called US JUMPSTART, along with national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan, the State Department said in a statement.The programme uses donations from allies to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine to support its self-defense following Russia's invasion, according to a Pentagon website.The JUMPSTART programme was used in August to buy 3,350 air-launched cruise missiles worth $825million (£615.8million) made by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the sale of the Patriot interceptors.The US has supplied large quantities of weapons to allies while also using munitions in its own military operations in Iran, raising concerns about inventories of key air defense and precision-guided weapons.In July, the US Army awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to $58.6billion (£43.7billion) to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.Lockheed has said that deal would allow it to follow through on a promise to triple PAC-3 MSE production capacity by the end of 2030 and increase jobs ⁠at its Camden, Arkansas, plant by 50 per cent, to about 1,850 from 1,200. Lockheed previously announced Patriot PAC-3 missile interceptor production would go to 2,000 units annually.Pentagon negotiators are ⁠pressing contractors to move much faster, with tentative production agreements struck earlier this year at the centre of efforts to increase missile output.