The United States has said it approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine, in a deal estimated at $2.1bn.

The proposed package, which includes missiles, spare parts and support services, was announced by the US State Department on Friday. It would mark one of the largest moves to provide Kyiv with defensive weaponry since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025.

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The Patriot system is widely regarded as one of the most capable defences against fast-flying ballistic missiles.

But delays in missile supplies have added strain to relations between Washington and Kyiv after Trump announced a diesel agreement with Russia and criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Ukraine has repeatedly argued that it urgently requires additional interceptor missiles to defend against increasingly frequent Russian missile barrages.

Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv had been waiting nearly a month for Washington to approve vital missile deliveries, while Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine’s power network and civilian sites.

A Russian drone attack on Thursday killed at least 14 people at a busy railway platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Officials also reported that five people died in daytime strikes on two other cities, while a missile attack later that evening killed one person in the capital, Kyiv.

Deliveries may take years

Although Ukraine needs the interceptors quickly, Patriot deliveries are not expected in the near future. Major weapons contracts commonly require years to complete.

Two people familiar with the US decision said the missiles have not yet been manufactured and are unlikely to arrive until several years into the 2030s.

According to the State Department, Ukraine would finance the purchase through contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway under a programme known as US JUMPSTART, as well as national funding supported by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan.

US defence company Lockheed Martin would serve as the main contractor for the Patriot interceptor sale.

In July, the US Army awarded Lockheed a contract valued at up to $58.6bn for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles.

Lockheed has said the agreement would help it meet its target of tripling PAC-3 production capacity by the end of 2030. The company had previously said annual production of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors would rise to 2,000 missiles.

Pentagon officials are also urging defence companies to accelerate manufacturing schedules.

Large US weapons transfers to allied countries, together with substantial munitions spending during operations involving Iran, have increased concerns about American stockpiles of critical air-defence systems and precision-guided weapons.