US Delays Patriot Transfers to Ukraine As Trump-Zelensky Rift Deepens
Pete Hegseth has yet to approve allied transfers of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, officials say, as Kyiv warns of dwindling stocks and relations with Washington deteriorate over strikes on Russian refineries.
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The Trump administration is delaying approval for Patriot interceptor transfers to Ukraine as relations between Washington and Kyiv deteriorate.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet authorized at least some deliveries from countries supporting Ukraine, according to a U.S. official and three others familiar with the matter who spoke to The Washington Post.
Washington must consent to the transfers because the interceptors were manufactured in the U.S. and exported under agreements that restrict their subsequent transfer.
Hegseth has neither formally refused the requests nor finished the approval process, officials said. He has continued authorizing some other assistance to Kyiv.
A Ukrainian official told the Post last week that the country had “only a couple” of interceptors left.
Air Defense Under Pressure
Ukraine has struggled with critically low Patriot stocks since the summer.
The U.S. war in Iran has further strained global supplies, while deliveries to Kyiv often arrive just a few interceptors at a time as production permits.
Ukrainian officials and their partners have sought additional missiles from countries able to spare them. The Kyiv Independent first reported the outstanding Pentagon approvals.
The shortage comes as Russian ballistic attacks threaten electricity, heating and water infrastructure ahead of winter.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight into Monday. He also reported another failure to receive advance warnings from partners.
“When deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defense are blocked, while Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, this is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners,” he wrote on Telegram.
Refinery Strikes Drive Rift
The transfer delays coincide with a sharp deterioration in relations between Zelensky and President Donald Trump.
Their relationship had improved following an earlier White House confrontation, with talks in New York last month marking a period of warmer ties.
That improvement unraveled during meetings in Miami this month, where Ukrainian representatives resisted U.S. demands to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities, American and Ukrainian officials said.
Kyiv has used attacks on Russian refineries to put pressure on Moscow.
Trump has increasingly criticized Zelensky as elevated energy prices weigh on his administration ahead of the midterm elections.
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
During the Miami talks, Trump announced an agreement to lift U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel exports and secure more than a million tons of Russian fuel for American and global markets.
Oil analysts questioned whether the arrangement would significantly reduce U.S. diesel prices.
They identified the Iran war and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz as bigger drivers of the increase than Ukrainian refinery strikes.
Washington Denies Intelligence Pause
Ukraine has also reported repeated interruptions to ballistic missile warnings that depend on American intelligence.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that intelligence sharing had been suspended. He attributed a recent interruption to a software fault that U.S. European Command is examining.
A senior Pentagon official said intelligence-sharing policy remained unchanged and that the program allowing NATO allies to supply U.S.-built weapons to Ukraine was continuing as before.
The White House said Washington remained engaged with both sides in efforts to end the war.
Trump’s concessions to Moscow have nevertheless drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers.
Representative Michael McCaul and 20 House colleagues challenged the diesel agreement in a letter to the White House.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, following a meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv, said Ukraine would halt refinery strikes if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian infrastructure.
He urged Trump to support that arrangement.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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