Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the United States of deliberately delaying deliveries of interceptor missiles to Ukraine, intensifying a public dispute with Donald Trump. Speaking to US senators on Monday, the Ukrainian president claimed that “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles” already paid for by European countries under the prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl) program.
According to Zelenskyy, the shipment is awaiting the signature of the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth. A White House official, speaking to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, said the US “continues to play a constructive role in speaking to both sides in working towards bringing the war to an end”.
Patriot Missile Transfers Await US Approval
Zelenskyy also said several European countries were ready to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles but were still awaiting US approval. “All of this suggests that some political decision has been made to slow down the support for us,” he said in remarks released by the Ukrainian presidency.
The Post reported that the Trump administration had not approved the transfer of the interceptor missiles to Ukraine. Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for soaring fuel prices, a major issue in the upcoming US midterm elections. “To be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump said on Monday.
Intelligence Sharing Concerns Raised
Zelenskyy said US decisions taken on the war – including delays in arms shipments and restrictions on intelligence sharing – were “hard to explain”. Washington denies making any changes to intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Zelenskyy said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence to pressure Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow. A Ukrainian air force spokesperson said on Monday morning that Ukraine had not received a warning before a Russian missile barrage hit power plants in Kyiv about 11pm. Ukraine did receive a warning before a subsequent strike, the spokesperson added.
Deadly Strikes and Ongoing Negotiations
Zelenskyy said on social media on Monday: “Once again, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack in multiple waves throughout the night, and once again, there was no warning from our partners.” Russian strikes killed four people around Ukraine, authorities said on Tuesday, as Moscow continues targeting energy and transport infrastructure. Three people died in the Kyiv region, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Telegram. One person was killed in strikes on Zaporizhzhia in the south-east, according to the regional military administration chief. At least 11 people were wounded in the attacks, they said.
Six people, including young children, were killed when a Russian drone struck a park in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region on Monday, authorities said. Zelenskyy decried a “pure atrocity”, saying on Facebook the drone “struck people directly – in a park near an ordinary cafe”, and a one-year-old girl was among those killed. The strike in Nova Vodolaga had also killed the girl’s mother.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Norway this week for the next round of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, Reuters quoted three people familiar with the matter as saying. Two of them said they expected Zelenskyy to attend the meetings. Another source said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was expected to take part in the talks, was sick and would attend virtually. The Oslo discussions were expected to include Zelenskyy, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store, representatives of the E4 – made up of the UK, France, Germany and Poland – the EU and Nato. Witkoff is also set to travel to Russia to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin, two sources said. The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the schedules were tentative and could change.
Pope Leo has held a phone call with Zelenskyy, the Vatican said, and urged Ukraine and Russia to cooperate to let aid and food into the blockaded town of Oleshky. Residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town have reported a deepening food crisis. The call on Monday came three days after the pontiff asked Putin to arrange a ceasefire so aid could enter Oleshky, a request the Kremlin did not address when it said Putin would help organise supplies.
