US approves $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine

The State Department said Ukraine will pay with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway and with national funds financed by a European Union (EU) loan, and that no US funds are involved, the BBC and AP reported. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the approval but said Ukraine needs the interceptors now, and he has warned deliveries could take several years, according to the BBC. The order is understood to be for newly built missiles.

Why it matters: Patriots are Ukraine's main defense against Russian ballistic missiles, and the approval comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid intensify ahead of winter.