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U.S. editionThe Washington Post reported on Monday, October 19, that the American government has not approved the transfer of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. AD, de Volkskrant, De Telegraaf and Trouw picked up the report on October 20. According to the paper, these are missiles that have already been ordered and paid for, among other things through the NATO program PURL. Because the missiles were made in the United States, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth has to approve the resale. According to the paper, he has not formally rejected the transfer, but has also not taken the necessary steps. De Telegraaf headlined that only a few missiles are left in Ukraine. Zelensky told American members of Congress on Monday, according to the Kyiv Independent, that the missiles are ready and that approval is not coming. A Pentagon official said there is no change in policy.
Patriot systems are the air defense with which Ukraine shoots down Russian missiles, and every interceptor that is missing lets more attacks through. Because the missiles remain American property until the resale is approved, a single signature can block a European payment for months. That turns an administrative step into a political instrument in the negotiations over the war.
As a Dutch citizen you help pay for European support through the budget, and it matters whether that support actually arrives. The outcome partly determines how the Dutch government talks about new contributions to PURL and how sure Ukraine can be of protection for its cities and energy networks.
Those who take the report seriously point out that the delay concerns weapons that have been paid for and that Zelensky openly says the missiles are ready. According to this reading, Washington uses the approval as leverage as President Trump urges Kyiv toward a deal. Criticism of Europe would be that it is too dependent on American permits.
The Pentagon says policy has not changed and that the arrangement under which European countries supply American weapons simply applies. According to this reading, it is a matter of procedure and scarcity, because American stocks are also needed for other conflicts. The Washington Post itself writes that Hegseth has not refused.
Confirmed is that, according to the paper, the transfer has not been approved and that Zelensky says so publicly. Not confirmed is whether it is a deliberate political choice, whether only a few missiles are left, and how long the delay lasts. Watch today for a statement from Hegseth or the Pentagon on the approval.
AD (live report on the Washington Post story, Oct 20) · de Volkskrant (Pentagon delays delivery, Oct 20) · De Telegraaf (live report, Oct 20) · Trouw (US holds back missiles, Oct 20) · Kyiv Independent (Zelensky and Pentagon response, Oct 20)
Washington Post: Trump administration is holding back Patriot missiles for Ukraine, Zelensky waits for Hegseth’s approval
According to the paper, the transfer of interceptors that have already been paid for is stalled because Defense Minister Hegseth has not approved it; the Pentagon sees no change in policy.
AD, de Volkskrant, De Telegraaf and Trouw reported on Tuesday, October 20, citing the Washington Post, that the American government is holding back the delivery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine. According to the paper, some of the interceptors come from European and other friendly countries. Because the missiles were made in the United States, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth has to approve their resale to Kyiv. He is said not to have formally rejected the transfer, but also not to have taken the procedural steps for approval. De Telegraaf headlined that Ukraine has only a few missiles left. De Volkskrant wrote that the Pentagon is delaying the delivery, as Zelensky says.
These are weapons that have already been ordered and paid for, among other things through the NATO program PURL, with which European allies buy American weapons for Ukraine. Zelensky said on Monday in an online meeting with American members of Congress, according to the Kyiv Independent, that the missiles are ready but that there is no permission yet. A senior Pentagon official told the media that there is no change in policy on intelligence sharing or on the arrangement under which European countries supply American weapons to Ukraine. Zelensky had said on his Telegram channel that he had spoken in Kyiv with a team from Lockheed Martin about the Patriot systems and F-16 aircraft. Whether Hegseth has meanwhile approved the transfer has not been reported.