Office of the President of Ukraine
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Zelensky accuses Pentagon of delaying paid Patriot supplies as Russia pounds Ukrainian cities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly accused the Pentagon and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of holding up already-paid deliveries of vital military supplies, primarily Patriot air defense interceptor missiles. The accusation came as Russia launched one of its broadest overnight attacks in months — 16 ballistic missiles against Kyiv and the surrounding area and more than 200 drones nationwide — and as Ukrainian stocks of Patriot interceptors have dwindled to near zero. A US government representative denied the delays were politically motivated; one NATO representative attributed possible delays to logistics rather than politics; a different NATO official said deliveries under the PURL program, including air defense equipment, are continuing.