US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Washington has approved five hundred Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine, paid for by European and Canadian allies — but Kyiv warns deliveries could take years.
Washington has approved the sale of five hundred Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, a major boost to the country's air defences as Russian attacks intensify.
The package is worth two point one billion dollars and will be paid for entirely by allies in Europe and Canada, with no American taxpayer money involved. American defence company Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor.
Ukraine says it needs the missiles right now, as Russian strikes hammer its power grid ahead of winter. But the missiles are newly built rather than pulled from existing stockpiles, and only around six hundred are produced each year, so deliveries could take years to arrive.
Kyiv welcomed the decision but warned that the wait for the interceptors is far from over.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.