How many Patriot missiles did the US approve for Ukraine, and when will they arrive?

The BBC Global News Podcast reported on 31 October 2026 that the US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion. Washington correspondent Tom Bateman said the order is understood to be for newly built missiles rather than existing stock, so there is unlikely to be any rapid delivery.

• Canada, Germany and Norway are paying for the missiles.
• A global shortage of Patriot munitions follows their use by the US in the war with Iran.
• Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had waited almost a month for the US to sign off on the supplies.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-31). Read the whole episode summary →

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