Zelenskyy calls out monthlong wait for Hegseth to sign off on Patriot missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv had been waiting for almost a month for US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to sign off on much coveted Patriot interceptor missiles.

In an update on weapons supplies shared on social media, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been awaiting approval to receive missiles for both the Patriot and NASAMS systems.

"We are working on several tracks – with the United States, Europe, and other partners that have stocks of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles," he wrote.

"In particular, we have been waiting for nearly a month for Mr. Hegseth to sign off on missiles for Patriots and NASAMS," Zelenskyy continued, adding that he had instructed his team to raise the issue with Washington once again.

"Conversations with other countries are also ongoing," he said.

Kyiv has repeatedly pressed the need for more interceptors to be delivered to its forces as Ukraine continues to defend against deadly Russian missile attacks and jet-powered drone strikes.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy said Russian forces had fired 48 missiles - including ballistic missiles - at Ukraine over the past week, as well as around 1,600 guided aerial bombs and close to 2,300 attack drones.

"Unfortunately, almost every day, these brutal strikes leave people killed and injured," he wrote on X. "We need to unblock the deliveries of Patriot interceptors already approved by European countries."

The Patriot missile platform is one of the world's most advanced air defence systems and can be used to defend against a variety of threats, including aircraft and ballistic missiles.

Ukraine receives the majority of its Patriot missiles through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which facilitates the purchase of military equipment and munitions from the US by allies and partners.

As of June 2026, allies had committed to funding more than $6 billion of defence equipment for Ukraine through the scheme, per NATO.

Munitions stockpiles under strain

Global munitions stocks have come under significant pressure in recent months amid the US' war in Iran.

A report from the US Department of Defence's inspector general, published in September, said American forces had fired $22.3 billion worth of munitions from the start of Operation Epic Fury in late February to the end of June.

Yurii Ihnat, a colonel in the Ukrainian military, said in an interview published on Monday that the number of Patriot missiles used in the Middle East could have supported several years of combat operations in Ukraine.

It is unclear how many of the missiles Ukraine is waiting for Hegseth to sign off on, although Ukrainian media reports suggest that it is a sizeable figure.