Zelensky welcomes sale of crucial US Patriot missiles but warns delivery could take years

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed US approval of a potential $2.1 billion sale of 500 vital Patriot interceptor missiles on Friday, but warned that it may take “a few years” for them to arrive. “We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors,” he wrote on X, urging Washington to provide weapons from existing stockpiles to help Ukraine through the winter. Kyiv uses the defensive weapons to blunt Russia’s continuous ballistic missile strikes on its territory, but Ukraine’s supply ran dry earlier this month, CNN previously reported. The US State Department approved the potential sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptors, the most advanced Patriot variant currently in service and one of the few weapons capable of shooting down incoming ballistic missiles, on Friday, according to a department release. “We did ask our American partners to provide Ukraine with a winter support package – at a rate of 100 Patriot interceptors per month,” Zelensky said. “Five hundred missiles would be enough to protect our skies over the coming months – precisely when it is so important for Ukraine to be in a strong position in negotiations and for Russia NOT to succeed in breaking life in Ukrainian cities and communities.” The State Department’s announcement did not specify when the interceptors would be delivered to Ukraine. CNN has asked the State Department for details about the expected delivery timeline. The need for the inceptors is particularly acute as Ukraine heads into winter under continuing Russian bombardment. Zelensky claimed that the US and its partners “have sufficient stocks of PAC-3 interceptors in their warehouses” and urged them to release those weapons immediately. “Providing them to Ukraine right now – in the winter of 2026–2027 – and replenishing our partners’ arsenals LATER, in THE FOLLOWING YEARS, through this production already contracted and paid for by Ukraine and our partners would be the right approach,” he said on X. The sale nonetheless marks a significant victory for Zelensky, who has repeatedly appealed to Western leaders for more of the crucial defensive weapons. In an August interview with CNN, Zelensky argued that selling even a small portion of the US Patriot stockpile to Ukraine would be sufficient to “destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles.” The purchase is not subsidized or financed by the US, according to the release. Instead, Ukraine is covering the estimated $2.1 billion purchase with funds from Canada, Germany and Norway in addition to a loan from the European Union, the State Department said. The department said the proposed sale would support US foreign policy and national security objectives “by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe.” The approval comes after weeks of mounting tensions between the US and Ukraine. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a deal to allow Russian diesel exports to global energy markets and waived a further slate of sanctions related to Russian fossil fuel sales that had only just been signed into law. Trump also threatened to withhold intelligence from Kyiv over its strikes on Russian refineries, and Ukraine’s access to the crucial Starshield satellite system was throttled for a period before it was restored last week. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that Ukrainian drones had attacked three Russian oil refineries and a gas-chemical complex, according to Russian state news agency TASS, The same day, Zelensky accused Moscow of continuing to target Ukraine’s infrastructure, saying Russian ballistic missiles had struck oil refining infrastructure in Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region. “The Russians have not taken a single step toward energy de-escalation,” he said in a Telegram post. “We will also act accordingly and entirely justly.” Friday’s sale announcement also left open whether any missile components would be produced in Ukraine as part of a so-called “offset agreement.” The State Department said that it was “not aware” of any such arrangement between Ukraine and Lockheed Martin, the defense firm that produces the Patriot, but noted that the matter could be directly negotiated between Kyiv and Lockheed. Trump had shocked many by announcing in July at the NATO summit in Turkey that Ukraine would receive a license to produce its own Patriot missiles, a move that could eventually alleviate pressure on US production lines amid a munitions shortage linked to the Iran war and growing international demand. But any Ukrainian interceptor factory could take years to build, and the president has seemingly backed off from the move. This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report. Davis Winkie’s work at CNN is supported by a partnership between Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners (JFP). CNN retains full editorial control of the reporting.