Zelensky accuses Washington of obstructing the delivery of interceptor missiles to Ukraine
Amman2 min read
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Washington on Monday of deliberately delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles to his country, deepening the public rift with his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
This statement comes at a time when Kyiv is questioning American support in its war against Russia, as it accuses Washington of assisting Moscow by failing to warn it of missile attacks and obstructing the Ukrainian military response by making changes to the "Starshield" system that Ukraine uses for its communications.
For its part, the United States denies making any changes to the mechanism for sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
Speaking before members of the US Senate on Monday, Zelensky said that "the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles" that European countries had already paid for under the "Ukraine Priority Requirements List" program.
According to Zelensky, the shipment is awaiting the signature of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
He also pointed out that many European countries are ready to deliver Patriot interceptor missiles to Kyiv from their own stockpiles, but are still awaiting American approval.
The Ukrainian presidency quoted Zelensky as saying that "the missiles are ready, and they could have been in Ukraine by now," adding, "But unfortunately, the approval has not been issued yet."
The Ukrainian president considered that "all of this indicates that a political decision has been made to slow down the pace of support provided to us."
With the US midterm elections approaching, in which fuel prices play an important role due to their impact on the American voter, Trump blamed Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian oil refineries for the shortage of supplies and the rise in prices at gas stations.
