Paid-for Patriot missiles wait for a US signature

Zelensky told US senators on the evening of Monday, 19 October, that the Pentagon was delaying Patriot interceptors that European countries had already paid for through the PURL program. He said the batch was waiting for the signature of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. European states, he said, could supply the missiles from their own stocks but needed American authorisation first. He described the delay as a political decision meant to slow the support Kyiv receives. Ukrainian officials and military officers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity made the same point, saying Hegseth had the Patriot contracts on his desk and had not approved them.

Intelligence and Starlink limits

Zelensky also said the United States had stopped supplying some classified intelligence that lets Ukraine spot incoming Russian missiles before they strike. He added that Washington had limited Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink network that Ukrainian forces use for communications and drone operations. The Ukrainian army faced sudden, temporary speed limits on Starshield on Thursday, 15 October, forcing its drones to fly more slowly than usual. Elon Musk said decisions on how Starshield is used belong to the US government, while Trump and the White House said they had not ordered the restrictions. In a video statement on Telegram, Zelensky said Ukraine had not received advance warning of an attack three times in the week of 12 October, as its partners usually provide. The US denies any change in its intelligence supply to Ukraine. Early-warning alerts that depend on US intelligence were also interrupted repeatedly, and US officials blamed unfavourable weather, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited a software failure.

Trump waives Graham sanctions

On Friday, 16 October, Trump signed an executive order waiving new sanctions against Russia that Congress had passed with bipartisan support and that he had signed in September. The law, which carries the name of the late senator Lindsey Graham, lets the president impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia and on countries that buy its energy exports. Trump announced the block just two days before the sanctions were due to take effect. Former vice president Mike Pence, who served in Trump's first term, wrote on X that the decision was not clearly in US national interest and should be reversed. On Sunday, 18 October, Trump defended the waiver on Truth Social, saying he did not want to foolishly push Russia away from the negotiating table, and accused Zelensky of hitting Russian diesel refineries that he said harmed global diesel markets, including in the United States.

Strikes on Russia and talks ahead

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on St Petersburg on Sunday, 18 October, setting two oil installations in Russia's second city on fire. The strike also hit a logistics centre of online retailer Ozon, a data centre serving social media, the St Petersburg oil terminal and the Ruchi oil depot. Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian energy facilities three days after Trump announced an energy ceasefire in the week of 12 October, citing Russian violations of the truce. Zelensky said on Saturday, 17 October, that Russia had hit energy targets 76 times since that announcement. He said Ukraine would suspend strikes on Russian refineries for 30 days, as Trump had asked, if Washington supplied Patriot interceptors. On NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, 18 October, he said Ukrainian officials believed the Starlink limits came from the US government, and he still regarded Trump as an ally. Zelensky hoped a Ukrainian delegation would meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Norway in the days after 19 October.