Arya News - The Pentagon has commented on Vladimir Zelensky’s complaints about delays in the supply of missiles for Patriot air defense systems, telling RIA Novosti that the US policy regarding the weapons that European countries can transfer to Ukraine remains unchanged.
"There has been no change to Department of War policy regarding any capabilities we are enabling Europeans to provide to Ukraine," a senior Pentagon official said. The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative also remains unchanged, the statement read. The PURL program was launched by NATO in the summer of 2025. Under the scheme, European countries and Canada pay for US weapons supplied to Ukraine. Earlier in the day, Zelensky said that US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has not been approving the transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine for a month. On October 20, The Washington Post reported, citing sources, that Hegseth voiced no official rejection but did not take any real steps to approve the transfer of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems by a third country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not rule out the possibility that Hegseth had indeed withheld consent for the transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine from third countries, arguing that this was a measure to safeguard US defense interests."We have been waiting for Mr. Hegseth signature for Patriot missiles and NASAMS for nearly a month. I ordered to discuss it with the American side once again. We also hold talks with other countries," Zelensky said on social media.CNN earlier reported that Ukraine had exhausted its supply of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. The Financial Times reported that the US may block arms supplies and transfers of intelligence data to Ukraine to make Kiev halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.Russia has said that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict, and constitute "playing with fire." The Kremlin has stated that the West"s armament of Ukraine is counterproductive to negotiations and will have a negative effect.