According to the Financial Times, US President Donald Trump rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request for hundreds of additional Patriot air defense missiles. The report stated that the Washington administration turned down the request due to a shortage of existing Patriot interceptor missiles.
According to the report, the Trump administration assessed that the available Patriot missiles should be reserved primarily for the protection of American military assets in the Middle East and Gulf region. The decision was also influenced by the possibility of military tensions with Iran.
The White House and the Pentagon have not yet made an official statement on the matter. Ukraine, meanwhile, has long been requesting additional Patriot systems and interceptor missiles from the US to strengthen its defenses against Russian air strikes.