Patriot transfers awaiting Pentagon approval

The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration has not approved the transfer of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. Some of the systems meant for Kyiv come from allies, but the handover cannot be completed without Pentagon sign-off. Because the equipment is American-made, Washington has the final say on any transfer to a third country. A Ukrainian official told the Post in mid-October that only a few interceptor missiles remain in Ukraine's stockpile.

Kyiv Independent reporting, citing Ukrainian sources, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet approved a significant batch of Patriot interceptors. One Ukrainian official said the contracts sit in Hegseth's office and remain unsigned, and that Ukraine's allies had already paid for the missiles. Ukrainian sources suspect Washington is holding the weapons back to push Kyiv toward an agreement that would not benefit it. The delay comes while Russia launches near-daily ballistic missile attacks on civilian Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving Kyiv reliant on limited interceptor stocks.

Zelensky accuses Washington

On Monday, 19 October 2026, Zelensky told a visiting US congressional delegation that American decisions on the war were difficult to explain. He pointed to delays in weapons deliveries and limited sharing of information about incoming attacks. In a post the same day, he said political agreements with partners had not been put into practice at working level and that vital supplies were delayed at the level of the US Department of War. He also reported that 28 substations and other critical energy facilities were hit in the latest wave of Russian attacks, and that repair work was under way.

Zelensky ordered his defence and foreign ministers and the presidential office to contact partners able to strengthen Ukraine's air defence quickly, asking for concrete results within the day. Skai reported that he blamed the Pentagon for delays in missiles delivered through the PURL programme. He also said Ukraine could halt strikes on Russian refineries for a set period if the United States helped secure Patriot missiles. Zelensky said he hoped a Ukrainian delegation would meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Norway in the coming days.

Rubio and Trump respond

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Monday that there had been no pause in US intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan, he said the focus should be on ending the war. Rubio's remarks came as Washington's approach to Kyiv and Moscow drew scrutiny from Ukrainian officials.

On the same day, Donald Trump said he would be open to a meeting with the leaders of Russia and China. The Wall Street Journal reported that Vladimir Putin proposed a summit with Trump and Xi Jinping in November 2026. Trump said the meeting would not focus much on Ukraine, arguing that Russia had not done much there, and that its main topic would be nuclear weapons and denuclearisation. He thought it would probably take place in China, and he is expected to travel there in November 2026 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.

What comes next

According to sources familiar with recent talks, China has not opposed the idea of a three-way meeting. It remains unclear, however, whether Xi would accept the agenda Trump proposes, since Beijing has repeatedly refused to join talks on arms control. Ukraine's Pentagon-dependent deliveries remain unresolved, and the Norway contacts with Witkoff and Kushner are still pending.