Hykkänen: US delays delivery of Europe-funded Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hykkänen expressed dissatisfaction with Washington's actions in an interview with Euronews journalists. According to him, the US is demonstrating a lack of "political will" to ensure the unimpeded delivery of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, which have already been paid for by European allies.

Funding is available, but deliveries are halted

The head of the Finnish defence ministry emphasised that European countries have already fully financed the purchase of the necessary ammunition for Ukraine's air defence systems. However, in his view, the actual transfer of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is currently being hindered solely by political factors from the US administration.

“Now is the most critical moment when Ukraine needs all air defence means. We have the funding, now we need the stocks to be delivered to Ukraine. But we also need political will from the US to start deliveries,” Hykkänen stressed.

Question of responsibility and NATO's role

Responding to a question about whether Pentagon head Pete Hegseth bears personal responsibility for these delays, the Finnish minister noted that he did not have details regarding a specific official. “I am not familiar with the essence of the main problem, but we know that Ukrainians need Patriots. Europeans have already allocated funds for this, and now it is only a matter of political agreements,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Euronews sources in the Alliance, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe is currently persuading seven member states to transfer additional missiles to Ukraine from their own arsenals. However, these countries are not in a hurry to release weapons from their stocks without clear guarantees from Washington regarding the rapid replacement of the transferred missiles.