Zelensky warns the 500 Patriot missiles approved by Trump may not reach Ukraine for YEARS as Russia hits its energy grid daily
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, who had warned this month that Ukraine had nearly run out of Patriot interceptors as Russia struck a Kyiv energy facility on 30 October, blacking out four city districts.Ukrainian emergency service firefighters tackle a blaze in Sumy region as Russia struck energy infrastructure across Ukraine, hitting a Kyiv facility on 30 October and a combined heat and power plant in Shostka the following morning.A fire engine tackles a blaze in the Poltava region as Russia continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure daily, striking a Kyiv facility on 30 October and a Shostka heat and power plant the following morning.Norway, Germany and Canada are funding the entire $2.1bn package of 500 Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning deliveries may not begin for years.
The $2.1 billion deal for 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles was approved by the US State Department on Friday, with Lockheed Martin named as the principal contractor. Canada, Germany and Norway will fund the purchase entirely through the JUMPSTART programme, meaning no US money is involved. Zelensky, who had accused the Pentagon of holding up missile deliveries for nearly a month, pleaded for allies to release missiles from existing stockpiles now and replenish them with this new batch later.
Zelensky had warned Russia has struck Ukraine's energy infrastructure more than 30 times in the past two weeks, killing at least 14 in a drone strike on a crowded Dnipro rail platform.
The Ukrainian president is requesting a monthly supply of 100 Patriot interceptors as a 'winter support package', saying 500 missiles 'would be enough to protect our skies'.
The approval now goes to Congress for review, and comes amid broader tensions after Trump negotiated a diesel agreement with Russia and took aim at Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
