'It's significant': Ukraine fears US is withholding allied-funded air defense supplies to pressure Kyiv

The Kyiv Independent · 19.10.2026, 14:12:55

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