Ukraine is ready to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days in exchange for Patriot missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv is ready to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days if the US delivers interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. He also accused Washington of delaying the supply of missiles that had already been paid for by allies.
Ukraine is ready to pause strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days in exchange for Patriot missiles
Zelensky announced this on October 19 during an online conversation with US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis.
According to the Ukrainian president, the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles funded by partners under the PURL — Ukraine's priority needs list — program. One of the packages ready for shipment is awaiting the signature of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Zelensky emphasized that the issue of supplying Ukraine with Patriot missiles from reserves in European countries also remains dependent on Washington's permission.
"Our partners, including those in Europe, are waiting for US permission to supply us with interceptor missiles for Patriot from their own reserves. All this shows that some kind of political decision has been made to slow down assistance to us," he said.
In addition to military aid, the Ukrainian president also mentioned problems related to information exchange and communication systems. According to him, recently Kyiv failed to receive warnings from the US about Russian ballistic missile attacks three times.
Furthermore, Zelensky stated that a full explanation regarding the restrictions on the use of Starshield — Starlink's military communications service package — had not been provided either. He assessed these situations as "decisions by the American side that are difficult to explain in relations between friends."
Zelensky reported that Kyiv could pause attacks on Russian oil refineries for 30 days, as demanded by Donald Trump. However, the condition for this is that the US provides Ukraine with interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.