U.S. delays PAC-3 missile deliveries to Ukraine while continuing older Patriot supplies

The United States has halted deliveries of the PAC-3 missile interceptors to Ukraine while continuing to supply the older PAC-2 variant, according to a NATO source cited by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on October 29. The decision to delay PAC-3 deliveries is being discussed at a high political level, though there is no current timeline for when the issue might be resolved.

European Commission representatives were unable to confirm if they had raised the issue with Washington on October 28, as Ukraine's European allies had already paid for the missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted on October 25 that securing Patriot missiles for Ukraine was a slow process, requiring written authorization from the United States.

Zelenskyy stated that only 24 Patriot interceptor missiles had been supplied to Ukraine in the past three months, despite intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks. On October 22, Russia launched 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv, but Ukraine's air defenses were unable to intercept any. Zelenskyy warned that Russia may intensify its ballistic missile attacks as deliveries of U.S. interceptor missiles decrease.

On October 15, CNN reported that Ukraine had exhausted its stockpile of interceptors for the U.S.-made Patriot system, with nearly all intercepted missiles failing to intercept Russian attacks. Zelenskyy later told Bloomberg that Ukraine was receiving only 12 Patriot missiles per month, significantly fewer than under the previous administration.