Ukraine in urgent talks with US for new arms, focus on Patriot missiles

Ukrainian officials are currently engaged in discussions with the United States regarding new arms deliveries, with a particular focus on acquiring missiles for the Patriot air defence systems.

Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's office, confirmed these talks, emphasizing the importance of such weapons for the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports citing Polish media.

According to Podolyak, Ukraine's most pressing need is for additional Patriot system missiles, which have become a cornerstone of its air defence efforts amid ongoing conflicts.

"Of course, we are most interested in receiving missiles for the Patriot systems because it is a matter of protecting the population and critical infrastructure. But other types of weapons are also important to us, and these agreements are currently under discussion," Podolyak stated.

Podolyak further explained that many of the existing US aid programs were nearing completion. These initiatives, which include both presidential programs and those approved by Congress, were approaching their expiration, requiring Ukraine to initiate a fresh round of negotiations. "Since some of them were expiring, we would still have to go through the procedure from the beginning: negotiations, then a vote in Congress," he noted.

Earlier, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the US Armed Forces had suspended military aid deliveries to Ukraine. This suspension affects both weapons already in transit and those waiting to be shipped in transit zones in Poland.

Due to the expiration of several military aid programs, Ukraine now faces the need to restart the negotiation process and secure new agreements, which must be approved by the US Congress, according to Ukrainian officials. This comes after the administration of President Donald Trump had explicitly stated its intention to reduce support for Ukraine.

The situation has since worsened following a recent scandal in the Oval Office, leading to growing concerns in Kyiv. There is now active discussion about the possibility that Ukraine could lose access to critical intelligence data.

By Vafa Guliyeva