The United States has approved a potential sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine worth more than $2 billion, the State Department announced on Friday.
The proposed sale still requires congressional approval, while no delivery timetable was provided.
Ukraine will finance the purchase with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway, as well as national resources backed by a European Union loan, according to the U.S. government.
"Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway (...) and with national resources financed by a loan from the European Union," the U.S. government said, adding that "no American funds are being committed".
U.S.-made Patriot missiles, regarded as critical to Ukraine's ability to intercept advanced Russian missiles, have recently become a source of tension between Kyiv and Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has voiced frustration over delays in Patriot deliveries. Last week, he accused the United States of deliberately slowing shipments.
"On average, 12 (Patriot) missiles per month: that is what we will receive in 2026," Zelenskiy said on Wednesday, also pointing to a "significant shortage of NASAMS" interceptor missiles.
The following day, Zelenskiy called for "fair and decisive action from America and Europe in the face of Russian escalation".
Russian attacks have continued at high intensity, with the exception of a lull around Oleshky in southern Ukraine, where a local ceasefire entered its fourth day, making it the longest such pause since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, are expected to take place in the United Arab Emirates in November as part of efforts to resolve the conflict, the deadliest war on European soil since World War Two.
Source: AMNA
