Allies Doubt Additional Patriot Interceptors Will Reach Ukraine Before U.S. Midterms

Overview

• Multiple NATO sources reported on Thursday that allies are pessimistic additional Patriot interceptor missiles will arrive in Ukraine ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is still waiting for explicit approval from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for further interceptor deliveries to Kyiv.
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged allies to bilaterally transfer interceptor stocks, but sources say Greece and Spain have held back substantial PAC-2 reserves that could be sent to Ukraine.
• NATO’s top commander, SACEUR Alexus Grynkewich, told Bloomberg that deliveries paid for by European allies have continued and that requested third-party transfers to the U.S. have been approved, a contrast with media reports quoting unnamed NATO officials who say political timing is blocking shipments.
• The missile shortfall has left Ukrainian air defences stretched, prompted Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara to ask E5 countries to transfer 10% of Patriot and IRIS‑T stocks in return for future resupply, and risks further straining U.S. inventories needed for responses to the war with Iran.