U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) looks on during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Dec. 2, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to approve the transfer of a significant batch of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine, Ukrainian officials and military officers told the Kyiv Independent, raising suspicions in Kyiv that Washington is deliberately withholding the weapons to pressure Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 19 that there are delays in providing "certain types of vital supplies," pointing a finger at the U.S. Department of Defense.
"There are political agreements that have not been implemented at the working level," he added.
One senior Ukrainian official and two Ukrainian military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, say Hegseth is holding up supplies of Patriot missiles, which Ukraine relies on to intercept ballistic missiles.
"Hegseth has the contracts for Patriot missiles on his desk. He is not signing off on them," one Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.
The official added that the missiles had already been paid for by Ukraine's allies.
The delay comes as Russia launches near-daily ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, leaving Kyiv dependent on its limited supplies of interceptors.
"Hegseth has the contracts for Patriot missiles on his desk. He is not signing off on them."
It also builds on the latest strain in relations between Ukraine and the Trump administration, which the U.S. president criticizing Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine has also recently experienced repeated disruptions to its early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. intelligence. American officials have attributed the outages, which have occurred several times in the past, to “bad weather conditions,” while U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio has cited a software malfunction.
Ukaine has also experienced disruptions to Starshield and Starlink services, which have severely hampered Ukrainian drone operations, including the interceptor drones Ukraine uses to counter Russian jet-powered attack drones.
Ukrainian officials described the alleged delay as another example of political pressure that could put civilian lives at risk.
Patriot systems are among Ukraine's most important defenses against Russian ballistic missiles, which are particularly difficult to intercept. Any delay could seriously undermine Ukraine's defense of its cities and critical infrastructure.
A significant batch of missiles
Ukraine obtains Patriot interceptors through several channels, one senior Ukrainian military official said. One of the main mechanisms is NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), through which Kyiv's allies fund weapons purchases from the U.S.
Zelensky said the U.S. delivers only 12 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine each month.
Kyiv also seeks missiles directly from countries that may have them in stock. Ukrainian embassies contact governments to identify available supplies.
Ukrainian officials declined to disclose the country's current interceptor stocks, citing operational security.
"(Ukraine) never discloses the quantity of weapons we have on hand so that the enemy remains unaware of the situation," one Ukrainian defense official said.
Another senior Ukrainian official described the batch allegedly awaiting Hegseth's approval as "significant."
"It's hard to call this a 'monthly supply,' because there's no set amount of how much you need for a month," the official said. "But it's significant."
The status of the broader supply program remains less clear. A NATO official said PURL deliveries were continuing, including shipments of air defense equipment.
"Support to Ukraine through PURL continues to flow," the official said.
Another NATO official acknowledged that some shipments could face delays but said political reasons were unlikely to explain them.
Ukrainian officials, however, believe the hold-up is a political decision rather than a routine logistical delay.
"It looks like this is a political refusal to sign," one Ukrainian official said.
"First, it was missile early warnings. Now this. It's clear what they're doing."
The Kyiv Independent contacted the Pentagon for comment, but had not received a response. A U.S. government official disputed Ukraine's claims, calling them "not true."
As of the morning of Oct. 19, a Ukrainian defense official said there had been no change in the supply situation, and Hegseth had still not approved the transfer.
A wider dispute over Russian oil
The dispute over Patriot interceptors comes amid mounting tensions over Ukraine's campaign against Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump has criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries as his administration seeks to address rising global fuel prices, driven by his war in Iran.
On Oct. 9, Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin allowing Russia to supply millions of tons of diesel to U.S. and international markets despite sanctions imposed over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia subsequently partially lifted its ban on diesel exports, allowing additional supplies to reach foreign markets.
With fuel prices putting pressure on U.S. consumers, Trump has increasingly blamed Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries, while denying responsibility for the situation at the gas pumps.
One senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that the administration's approach was driven by domestic politics.
"He can't admit he was wrong about the war in Iran, so — purely for campaign purposes — he's fallen back on the old narrative of accusations against Ukraine," the official said.