NATO allies fear Kyiv will not get Patriots until after US midterms
Ukraine is waiting for Defense Secretary Hegseth to approve new interceptors. NATO sources speak of pressure from Trump. The Kremlin links the next talks to developments in the Middle East.
Symbolic image · Photo: Boevaya mashina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
NATO allies doubt Ukraine will receive new US-made Patriot interceptors before the Nov. 3 US midterm elections, Euronews reports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still waiting for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve the transfer. Russia fired more than 100 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region in two weeks, he said. The Pentagon has not explained the delay.
An unnamed NATO source said "Trump is using as much leverage as he has over Ukraine ahead of the midterms". Trump wants Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian diesel refineries, which he links to high energy prices. Former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker suggested Washington may need the interceptors for a renewed Iran campaign. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged allies to hand over their own systems.
Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed talks with the Trump administration on sanctions relief for the Russian Direct Investment Fund. He said the timing of the next round of three-way talks on Ukraine also depends on developments in the Middle East.