The U.S. State Department said on Friday that it approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, one of the most significant defensive weapons steps for Kyiv since the second Trump administration began.
Allies and EU Loan Fund the Deal
Ukraine will cover the cost through contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway, which will be provided through a program called JUMPSTART, the State Department said. Funds from national budgets, financed through the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan, will also be used.
According to a Pentagon website, the program uses allied donations to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine.
“The Government of Ukraine has requested to buy five hundred (500) PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles,” the State Department said in a congressional notification posted online. The agency noted that non-major defense equipment items such as PAC-3 MSE classified and unclassified spare parts, and other related elements of logistics and program support will also be included.
In August 2025, the State Department approved a possible $825 million sale of air-delivered munitions to Ukraine, covering 3,350 air-launched cruise missiles made by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.
Lockheed Ramps Up Patriot Output
Maryland-based defense and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) is the principal contractor. In July, the U.S. Army awarded it a contract worth up to $58.6 billion for Patriot interceptors. Lockheed has said the deal lets it triple PAC-3 MSE capacity by the end of 2030.
Ukraine has long said it needs more interceptors to counter Russia’s growing missile attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in July that Ukraine’s Patriot stockpiles are nearly exhausted.
In an October interview, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would pause strikes on Russian refineries again only if it received more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, calling that the “minimum.”
Zelenskyy Presses for Faster Patriot Delivery This Winter
Zelenskyy welcomed the approval in a post on X, calling it “a strong decision by the U.S. State Department.” But he said deliveries “can begin only in a few years.”
“We ask our American partners to find a solution precisely when there is real danger,” he said.
Zelenskyy cited “more than 30 Russian strikes on very critical parts of our power grid” in the last two weeks of October. He said Kyiv had asked for 100 Patriot interceptors a month this winter.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Recent Comments