WASHINGTON (Washington Post) - The Trump administration has delayed approval for the transfer of Patriot air-defense interceptor missiles needed by Ukraine to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.
According to the report, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not formally rejected the proposed transfers but has yet to complete the required steps to authorize them. The delay comes amid renewed tensions between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and a broader deterioration in relations between Washington and Kyiv.
At least some of the transfers of Patriot interceptor missiles are from countries friendly to Ukraine that require Hegseth to approve the handoff, the report said, citing a U.S. official and three additional people familiar with the situation.
A Ukrainian official told The Washington Post the previous week that Ukraine had only “a couple” of Patriot interceptor missiles remaining in its stockpile, underscoring concerns about the availability of ammunition for the country’s air-defense systems.
The report noted that Hegseth has continued to approve some U.S. assistance to Ukraine, indicating that the delayed missile transfers do not necessarily represent a complete halt to American support.
The reported delay comes as relations between Trump and Zelensky have again come under strain. Trump has repeatedly criticized the Ukrainian president in recent days, according to the report.
U.S. Patriot missile defense systems at a U.S. army base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, March 10 2026 .