US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, funded by allies

Ukraine is set to receive Patriots worth two billion dollars, paid for by Germany, Canada, Norway, and the EU. However, no delivery date has yet been set.

Patriot missiles, here stationed in Poland. Photo: Kuba Stezycki/rtr

US Government Approves Patriot Sale – Zelensky Warns of Long Delivery Times

The US government of President Donald Trump has given the green light for the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine. "The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's ability to meet current and future threats by strengthening its integrated air and missile defense capabilities," the US State Department declared on Friday in Washington. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision but warned that deliveries would not begin for several years.

According to US officials, the planned sale has a value of two billion dollars (nearly 1.8 billion euros) and will still be reviewed by the US Congress. Washington did not name a delivery date. The US is also pursuing its own interests with the deal, as the State Department explained: "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security goals of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is an important pillar of political and economic stability in Europe."

Speaking on the online service X on Friday evening, Zelensky called it a "strong decision by the US State Department." However, deliveries could begin "only in a few years." "We ask our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is real danger and PAC-3 interceptor missiles are needed," Zelensky stated. He proposed that the US and European allies first release missiles from their own stockpiles to Ukraine and later replace them with the newly ordered weapons.

The Patriot interceptor missiles are particularly important for Ukraine in defending against Russian ballistic missiles. Kyiv has been complaining for weeks about dwindling supplies. On Wednesday, Zelensky had stated that his country would receive an average of only twelve Patriot missiles per month in 2026. There was also a "significant shortage" of interceptor missiles for the Norwegian Nasams system. According to the US State Department, the new purchase is to be financed by contributions from Germany, Canada, and Norway, as well as Ukrainian funds from a European Union loan. "No US funds will be used," Washington stated.

Since Trump took office in early 2025, the US has halted direct military aid to Ukraine. Through the so-called Purl mechanism, however, NATO states and other allies can purchase weapons packages worth 500 million dollars each in the US for Kyiv. Germany has already participated in three such packages and in June pledged an additional 200 million dollars for a weapons package plus another 200 million dollars for Patriot interceptor missiles.

As early as October 20, Zelensky had accused the US of delaying the delivery of missiles that European partners had "already paid for" through Purl. The delivery still lacked the signature of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to Zelensky, European states that wanted to release Patriot missiles from their own stockpiles were also waiting for approval from Washington. "The missiles are ready for use. They could already be in Ukraine," Zelensky said at the time. "But unfortunately, the (afp)

Russia: Ukrainian Oleshky Refugees Flown Out

According to Russian military officials, people rescued from the frontline town of Oleshky, occupied by Moscow's troops, have been flown out of the Black Sea city of Anapa. They would be transported on Russian military aircraft together with Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets to Gomel in Belarus, the Defense Ministry announced in the morning. From there, they would continue their journey to Ukraine.

There was still no concrete information on the number of people rescued during the evacuation from Oleshky the previous day. Reportedly, more than 200 people left the city in the Russian-annexed Kherson region in the direction of Ukraine. Dozens of people had opted to leave for Russian-controlled areas. According to Russian and Ukrainian officials, the people had the choice of leaving or remaining in the ruined city of Oleshky. Dozens of refugees were temporarily accommodated in Simferopol on the Russian-annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea before continuing their journey.

More than 1,000 people may still be living in the city, which is cut off from the outside world. Before the war, Oleshky had around 24,000 residents. The heavily mined region, studded with many tank barriers, is sealed off by the Russian military. Ukrainian drone attacks in the area are considered particularly dangerous. Ukrainian Commissioner Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Jana Lantratova had personally accompanied the evacuation on Friday. They thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for mediating a multi-day ceasefire and held out the prospect of possible further humanitarian actions for people in need in frontline cities. The ceasefire for the Kherson region, which is partly controlled by Russia and partly by Ukraine, ends on Sunday evening. (dpa)

Russia: Two Dead in Ukrainian Drone Attack in Bryansk Region

According to authorities, two people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Russian border region of Bryansk. Five other people were injured when the drone struck a residential building in the village of Klimovo, the regional administration announced. The Russian military reportedly shot down 29 Ukrainian drones over the region in the past 24 hours. (rtr)

G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting: No End to the Ice Age with Russia

Just over six weeks before the G20 summit of major industrialized and emerging economies, there is no sign of an end to the ice age between European member countries and Russia. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, there is also no easing in relations between Moscow and Washington. "In practice, no real progress in relations with the US can be seen so far. One should have no illusions regarding the diesel deal," Lavrov said on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. In early October, US President Donald Trump and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had agreed on diesel deliveries from Russia to the US, for which Washington temporarily suspended existing sanctions against Moscow. The deal triggered sharp international criticism – from the EU, Ukraine, the German government, and also from parts of the US Congress.

With regard to Washington, Lavrov criticized that fundamental issues were not being resolved, sanctions were continuing, all previous US sanctions from then-President Joe Biden were being maintained, and additional sanctions were being imposed on oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft. Regarding the consultations planned for mid-November in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, between Ukraine, the US, and Russia on resuming talks on a possible peace solution that have been interrupted for months, Lavrov criticized the Europeans: "They are trying to interfere in the peace negotiation process in Ukraine."

At the same time, Lavrov sharply criticized his German counterpart Johann Wadephul (CDU), accusing him of "family photo diplomacy." "If what matters most to them is how they look in a family photo and who stands next to them, then that says it all," he rebuked. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had canceled the otherwise often customary joint "family photo" of all participants in the round after sharp criticism, apparently mainly from European member countries. Among others, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, whom Rubio had invited as the only guest to the G20 round, spoke out against such a photo with Lavrov, according to a report by Polish radio. However, he was not the only one, Sikorski said. Shortly before the start of the G20 consultations, Wadephul had already said: "In any case, there will be no family photo in which our European partners are together with Mr. Lavrov." On ZDF on the evening, the German foreign minister said the term "family photo" evoked "the feeling of harmony, that one belongs together. And we are really not such a family with Russia at this point in time."

The consultations in Atlanta were controversial with some participants, but the tone was objective and befitting the seriousness of the situation, Wadephul added. "Everyone notices, everyone knows that the world is in an extraordinarily critical situation" and that it is the task of the G20 to "try everything to de-escalate conflicts and crises." Unlike Putin, Lavrov has recently been a regular guest at G20 meetings. Russia is still officially a member of the group, but Putin last physically attended a summit meeting in 2019. The G20 group comprises 19 states as well as the European Union and the African Union. (dpa)

Russia: Zelensky's Remarks Complicate New Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described his government's position in the Ukraine conflict as unchanged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's remarks on attacks on Russian targets were not helpful for preparing new talks, Lavrov said according to Russian news agencies on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Atlanta. Moreover, fundamental problems in relations with the US remained unresolved, as sanctions against Moscow remained in force and weapons continued to be delivered to Kyiv.

Both Russia and Ukraine had declared their readiness for further trilateral talks with the US. Zelensky had said this week that he hoped for a trilateral meeting of negotiators from November 6 to 10 in Abu Dhabi. Kyiv also wanted Europe to be included in the peace talks.

Lavrov said Russia's position had been "unchanged since the beginning of the military special operation." Moscow could not accept that Ukraine was a "military threat to the legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation." As an example of continued US support, he pointed to the US State Department's announcement on Friday that it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine. At the G20 meeting, the foreign ministers dispensed with the traditional group photo. Some made clear that they refused to be photographed with Lavrov. (rtr)

UN Human Rights Commissioner "Appalled" by Closure of Russian Newspaper "Novaya Gazeta"

UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk has described the closure of the Russian newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" as a "devastating blow" for independent media in the country. He was "deeply

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