Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Pentagon of holding up deliveries of Patriot air defense missiles already paid for by European allies, as tensions with Washington deepen over military aid and intelligence sharing.
Speaking during a virtual meeting with bipartisan, bicameral US lawmakers on Monday, Zelensky said the Pentagon was delaying the delivery of missiles awaiting approval from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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The meeting was organized by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Several European countries were ready to transfer Patriot interceptors from their own stockpiles, but Washington had yet to approve the deliveries, Zelensky said.
“The missiles are ready, and they could already be in Ukraine,” he said. “But unfortunately, there is still no approval.”
Zelensky also told lawmakers that Washington had not explained why Ukraine received no advance warning before powerful Russian missile strikes targeted energy facilities in the Kyiv region.
In the latest Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv on Oct. 19, a 21-year-old woman was killed and eight people were injured.
The United States has denied changing its intelligence-sharing arrangements with Ukraine. President Donald Trump has also denied ordering changes to the US government-owned Starshield network after Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX developed it, said the order could only have come from the White House.
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US-led diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine have stalled in recent months, with Washington shifting its attention toward the war with Iran.
Tensions with Trump escalate
Trump renewed his criticism of Zelensky on Monday, saying the Ukrainian leader did not know what he was talking about and suggesting it was time for someone else to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf.
The latest dispute follows a series of public clashes over US military support, Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and Washington’s approach to Moscow.
Trump has also said he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss nuclear disarmament, with the war in Ukraine potentially also on the agenda.
The prospect of a three-way meeting has raised concerns in Kyiv that Ukraine could be sidelined in negotiations over its future.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that such a meeting would “only encourage Putin to continue this war.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the possibility of such a meeting had been discussed, following a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff was travelling to Oslo on Tuesday for talks with Zelensky and European leaders before heading to Russia to meet Putin.
The Norwegian government confirmed that Zelensky would visit Oslo on Tuesday for meetings with the presidents of Norway and Finland.
It said the Ukrainian leader had asked the two countries to organize the meeting as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts at a “critical moment for Ukraine.”
The diplomatic contacts follow Zelensky’s talks with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday, amid Trump’s accusations that the Ukrainian leader was not interested in ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Russian strikes knock out power
Russia’s latest attacks targeted Ukrainian energy facilities and infrastructure across the country, early Monday, Oct. 19, cutting electricity to more than 500,000 people and prompting emergency repairs to the country’s battered power grid.
“Once again, there was no early warning from our partners,” Zelensky said, describing the damage and casualties.
Ukraine also received no advance warning before Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv on Oct. 12 and 13. The United States has denied cutting off intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Uzbekistan on Monday, denied that Washington had withdrawn intelligence-sharing support from Ukraine. He also backed Trump’s call for Zelensky to concentrate on ending the war.
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