US-approved Patriot missiles for Ukraine are understood to be new builds

Only 600 Patriot missiles are produced per year, making rapid delivery unlikely

The Patriot missiles the United States has approved for Ukraine are understood to be new builds rather than existing stock, meaning there is unlikely to be any kind of rapid delivery to Kyiv. The interceptors also have lengthy production times — only 600 missiles are produced per year, according to the US Department of Defense — and US use of the munitions in its war against Iran has driven a global shortage of them.

The US State Department announced the proposed sale of the 500 advanced PAC-3 interceptor missiles on Friday, saying they would cost $2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) and would be funded entirely by Ukraine’s allies in Europe and Canada. The approval followed months in which Kyiv said deliveries of the interceptors, which it views as critically needed for defense against escalating Russian aerial attacks, had been delayed.

In Friday’s statement, the department said: “Ukraine will pay for this purchase with donations from Canada, Germany, and Norway via the JUMPSTART program and national funds, financed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.” It named the American company Lockheed Martin as the “principal contractor” and said “no US funds are involved in this sale.”

The department said the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe.”

Patriots are the interceptors Kyiv has described as the only effective weapon in downing Russia’s ballistic missiles, and Zelensky has repeatedly urged the US to speed up deliveries. He has recently admitted Ukraine is running critically low on them as Russia intensifies its attacks on key energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

Zelensky said earlier this week that Ukraine had been waiting almost a month for the US to sign off on critical missile supplies.

In a Telegram post late on Friday, the Ukrainian president reported that Russian ballistic missiles had struck two of the country’s regions earlier in the day. “They continue to carry out terrorist strikes against our cities,” he said.

It is not clear what the production schedule will be for the newly approved Patriots.

The approval came just days after a row between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, who said it was time for Ukraine to get a new leader to try to end the war with Russia.

The sale also follows an earlier dispute over Patriot production. In July, Trump said Washington had “not agreed” to license Ukraine to produce the interceptors — three weeks after offering the country such a right.