US delaying Patriot missiles already paid for under NATO initiative, Zelensky says

The Kyiv Independent ^ | October 19, 2026 | Tamara Nowakowsky

[MinorityRepublican]

The United States is delaying the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles already paid for under a NATO-coordinated weapons purchasing initiative, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Oct. 18.

Washington has approved only some of the missiles purchased through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which allows NATO allies to finance the purchase of U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine, Zelensky said, according to Bloomberg.

"The American side approved the delivery of only some of them, but not the rest. And this is not a technical issue," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president said the U.S. is currently supplying just 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month, approximately one-quarter of the number provided under former President Joe Biden's administration.

Unlike the military aid provided under Biden, Ukraine must now purchase the missiles, Zelensky said.

The accusations come as Ukraine faces renewed Russian ballistic missile attacks and increasingly severe shortages of the interceptors needed to defend against them.

Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks had again reached critically low levels by mid-October, with a Ukrainian official telling the Washington Post that only a handful remained. CNN separately reported that Kyiv's available missiles had been exhausted.

Patriot systems are among Ukraine's most important defenses against Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to intercept using other systems.

Russia launched ballistic missile attacks against Kyiv on consecutive nights, Oct. 18 and 19, killing at least one person in the first attack and damaging residential buildings and infrastructure.

Zelensky also told Bloomberg that he had proposed suspending Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for additional Patriot missiles.

"My latest model was: We don't target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities. But they just want us to stop attacking diesel," Zelensky said.

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TOPICS: Ukraine
KEYWORDS: patriotmissiles; putinstoogery; tds; ukraine; ukrainetruth

[Texas Eagle]

Crimea river.

In first?

[catnipman]

shouldn’t this fool be negotiating such issues [if they even exist] with the government of the USA instead of yapping to Bloomberg?

[catnipman]

shouldn’t this fool be negotiating such issues [if they even exist] with the government of the USA instead of yapping to Bloomberg?

[Kudsman]

Is anybody else getting Ukraine fatique?

[FlyingEagle]

This little Z Green Goblin grifter coke-head is showing the Ukraine I saw when I tried to do business there in 2008.

Gangster

Hostage taker

Liar

Blackmailer

None of what is in play here is Ukraine’s. Not the Patriot Missiles. Not the NATO nonrt to pay for them.

He is an ingrate and wants to keep his big corruption game going.

He needs to call his corruption buddies in France, EU, England, Germany - call Ursula Van der Layin and cry on her apron, Z. Hey - maybe swap some Ukraine cocaine inventory for Patriot Missiles.

Of course, France is in the midst of violent revolution and likely will not last to the end of the year.

Seriously this piano player green tshirt guy needs the hook.

Take him out. End this Biden war.

[rllngrk33]

Zelensky and his backers in the EU are the biggest obstacle to ending the war.

Prove me wrong

[Allegra]

Unlike the military aid provided under Biden, Ukraine must now purchase the missiles, Zelensky said.

Break out the tiny violin.

[ConservativeMind]

Little z bombed the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany and the Russian refineries, among other energy exchanges with the EU.

Ukraine needs to own what they do, period.

If they mess up supposed allies, then they need to feel the pain from them.

[Responsibility2nd]

Washington has not confirmed or denied this claim by Zelensky.

Assuming it's true, then why would the US renege on a deal?

Is it because Trump is mad at the midget for ignoring his orders not to bomb Russion oil facilities?

[fidelis]

Is anybody else getting Ukraine fatique?

Oh, I’m way past that.

[datricker]

It’s kinda like we want the war to continue as it is bleeding both dry.

[Flaming Conservative]

Oh, boo hoo! I’m all out of concern for Ukraine. Get rid of that crooked, corrupt dwarf, then we can talk.

[convoter2016]

I wish someone will do some reporting to confirm the details of the Patriot purchases. I assume NATO is paying Lockheed Martin for the Patriot Missiles. There should be some financial records that show how much money Lockheed Martin has received (at least $4 million per missile) since Trump’s second term began.

[BobL]

Like Trump said, we’re out of missiles.

[House Atreides]

“ The Ukrainian president said the U.S. is currently supplying just 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month,…”
**********************************************************

That’s TWELVE TOO MANY, IMHO. Zielensky can suck eggs.

[McGruff]

Your first mistake was believing anything Zelensky says.

[Terry L Smith]

The z-guy ain’t doing so well.

Drones just replace artillery.

[Red6]

Zelensky also told Bloomberg that he had proposed suspending Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for additional Patriot missiles.

“My latest model was: We don't target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities. But they just want us to stop attacking diesel,” Zelensky said.

—

That is Mr. Z blackmailing the US.

Either give me what I want, or I intentionally target Russian oil infrastructure which has a direct impact on oil prices and that in turn on the elections.

IMHO, this changes the dynamics of the US Ukraine relationship.

Not against the Ukraine people, but if their policy makers want to use these levers in their power games, I would cut them off.

Mr. Z believes that since these arms deliveries are through NATO, we wouldn't dare do this, as that would cause an uproar among our NATO allies who will claim we are not a dependable ally and failing to meet our obligations.

I would not scream or make any sort of public accusations if I were Trump. At this point, I'd do it with a post-it-note hand delivered to Mr. Z. I would explain to our NATO allies that I will not have some coked out chump, a corrupt little dictator we helped install, in a war we do not stand much to benefit from, from blackmailing me during an election cycle.

I would cut off Intel sharing and Patriots until the targeting of Russian oil infrastructure stops. Real simple.

[thegagline]

Trump is turning the screws on Zelensky. He wants a big win before the midterms.