{
  "id": 16623308,
  "title": "Ukraine's been waiting almost a month for Hegseth to sign off on Patriot missiles, Zelenskyy says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/ukraines-been-waiting-almost-a-month-for-hegseth-to-sign-off-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T15:31:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-waiting-month-for-pete-hegseth-approval-patriot-missiles-zelenskyy-2026-10"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Monday that Kyiv has been waiting nearly a month for the US to approve the purchase of Patriot and NASAMS missile interceptors. These interceptors are crucial for Ukraine's air defense systems, particularly against Russian ballistic missiles. The US has supplied most of these interceptors through the NATO Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which involves allies and partners buying weapons from the US and then transferring them to Ukraine. Zelenskyy instructed his team to raise this issue with the American side again. The Patriot system is a top-tier defense against Russian ballistic missiles. Ukraine has repeatedly faced shortages of interceptors, making it difficult to defend effectively against Russian missile attacks, along with armed jet-powered drones. The American-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system is critical to Kyiv's defensive umbrella. Zelenskyy also mentioned that Ukraine is working on multiple tracks to secure more interceptors, including discussions with the US, Europe, and other partners with stocks of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. The Iran war has put significant strain on global munition stockpiles, exacerbating the situation.",
  "summary": "Ukraine has repeatedly faced low stockpiles of crucial interceptors needed to defend against deadly Russian missile attacks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Zelenskyy rules out limits on Ukraine’s army and neutral status in peace deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/zelenskyy-rules-out-limits-on-ukraines-army-and-neutral-status-in",
        "published": "2026-10-26T10:06:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Interfax-Ukraine",
        "title": "Ukraine ready to expand cooperation with Serbia – Zelenskyy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/ukraine-ready-to-expand-cooperation-with-serbia-zelenskyy",
        "published": "2026-10-26T11:51:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}