US delays the Patriot missiles Ukraine needs against ballistic strikes but keeps sending older PAC-2s

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's top commander in Europe, stated on October 30 in Riga that the United States is still providing Ukraine with Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and weapons packages funded by European allies, as reported by Bloomberg. The general emphasized that all the necessary items have been delivered, with the latest shipment arriving just last week.

He declined to disclose specific details about the quantity or type of missiles, but reiterated that deliveries are ongoing. Grynkewich assured that none of the items included in the PURL package, funded by European allies, have been delayed. Every third-party transfer requested by the U.S. government has been approved, and NATO is actively working on future PURL packages.

On October 29, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the U.S. was delaying PAC-3 interceptor missile deliveries to Ukraine's Patriot air defense systems, which primarily target Russian ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Euronews suggested that NATO officials were worried that President Donald Trump might delay deliveries until the U.S. midterm elections.

On October 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that securing Patriot missiles for Ukraine was progressing slowly, as countries required written authorization from the United States. Zelenskyy also listed receiving Patriot missiles as one of the three conditions for halting strikes on Russian oil refineries. In an ABC News interview on October 24, Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine had only received 24 Patriot interceptors over the past three months, while Russian ballistic missile attacks were intensifying.

He warned that Russia would escalate its ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine as the supply of U.S. interceptors dwindled. On October 22, Zelenskyy reported that Russia had launched 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in the previous night, none of which were intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. The president expressed concern that Russia would intensify its attacks if U.S. interceptor missile supplies were to dwindle.

On October 15, CNN, based on a source familiar with the situation, stated that Ukraine had depleted its stockpile of interceptors for the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system, with nearly all Russian ballistic missiles during the October 14 attack evading interception due to the shortage. Zelenskyy later informed Bloomberg that Ukraine was receiving only 12 Patriot missiles per month, significantly fewer than under former President Joe Biden's administration.