US clears $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine
The US State Department approved a possible sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine on Friday, valued at an estimated $2.1 billion. Partner countries Canada, Germany and Norway are funding the purchase through the JUMPSTART program, alongside Ukrainian national funds backed by the EU Ukraine Support Loan, with no US money involved. Lockheed Martin would be the main contractor. The sale still requires approval from the US Congress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had waited almost a month for the approval, and said it currently receives about 12 Patriot missiles a month. Officials said Russian strikes killed at least 14 people in Dnipro on Thursday and one person in Kyiv on Oct 30.
Key facts
- The statement did not specify when deliveries under the package might begin.
- Five people died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities, officials said.
- Russian attacks on Kyiv on Friday evening caused power outages in four districts, per the mayor and DTEK.
- Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield were fully functional again after a long outage.
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Why it matters
The approval addresses a months-long shortage of Patriot interceptors that Ukraine says it faces against Russian attacks.
What changed
First published from The Straits Times, Anadolu Agency, BBC News, NBC News and Meduza