Finland demands «political will» from the US for Patriot deliveries to Ukraine

Europe has paid — deliveries await a decision from Washington

Finland's Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen, in an interview with Euronews, said that European allies have already financed American Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine, but their transfer is being blocked by the lack of a political decision in Washington. «We have the funding, now we need deliveries from the stockpiles. But we also need political will from the United States to start the deliveries,» he said. According to him, this is now «the most critical time» to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, as Russia is preparing large-scale strikes on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure during the winter.

An approved deal and a month-long delay

At the end of October, the United States approved the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles worth $2.1 billion, but deliveries have not begun. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier accused Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of delaying the transfers: in October he wrote on social media that Ukraine had «been waiting for almost a month» for the signing of the authorization for the Patriot missiles. No official explanation for the delay has been given. Asked about Hegseth's personal responsibility, Häkkänen replied that he did not know the reason: «We know that the Ukrainians need Patriots. The Europeans have provided the funding for this, and now it is merely a matter of political arrangements.» According to Euronews, American weapons require final approval from the US Secretary of Defense before being transferred to another country, and purchases for Ukraine by European NATO allies and Canada are made through the PURL mechanism (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List).

Missile shortage and wavering allies

The problem is compounded by a global shortage of Patriot systems. According to separate Ukrainian figures cited by Euronews, the United States produces only about 60–65 interceptor missiles per month — fewer than the number of ballistic missiles Russia launches. Zelensky said that over a two-week period Russia fired more than 100 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and its surroundings. A Euronews source at NATO said that NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is persuading seven more alliance countries to transfer more missiles to Ukraine from their own stockpiles, but they are reluctant to do so without guarantees that the United States will reimburse them with new missiles; the source attributes this «rather to production constraints.» Demand for Patriots also comes from the American military itself and from sales to Israel and the Gulf states; according to Euronews sources, the US–Israel war with Iran could resume, which may also be a reason for holding on to American stockpiles.

A context of tension and diplomacy

The delay comes against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Washington and Kyiv: according to Euronews, Trump recently cancelled sanctions against Russia that had just been agreed, allowed supplies of Russian diesel fuel to hold down oil prices, called for Zelensky to be replaced, and the Ukrainian army temporarily lost access to the Starlink satellite system of Elon Musk's company SpaceX. At the same time, Häkkänen expressed support for diplomatic efforts to end the war, including the contacts of Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. He said that Europe must convey a direct message to Putin that it will «never give up on Ukraine» and will remain «tough» for as long as the war lasts, and he also warned about Russia's military build-up «in all directions» — from conventional weapons to nuclear — and called on Europeans to speed up strengthening their defences and counter hybrid threats more effectively.