Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the United States of deliberately holding up the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles, as relations between Kyiv and Washington continue to deteriorate over military aid and intelligence sharing. Speaking to US senators on Monday, Zelenskyy said the Pentagon was delaying the shipment of missiles that had already been paid for by European governments, and that the delivery was awaiting the signature of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Zelenskyy said several European countries were ready to transfer Patriot interceptors from their own stockpiles but were still waiting for Washington's approval. "The missiles are ready and they could already be in Ukraine," he said. "But unfortunately, there is still no approval." The remarks came ahead of reported talks in Oslo on Tuesday between Zelenskyy and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who is also expected to travel to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin.
Strained relations and shifting priorities
The public rift between President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy has widened in recent weeks. Trump has partially lifted sanctions to strike a diesel-supply deal with Putin, and has criticised Zelenskyy as a warmonger over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. On Monday, Trump launched another attack on his Ukrainian counterpart, saying, "Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about," and adding, "To be honest, I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."
Trump also said he was ready to meet Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss denuclearisation, with the possibility of also covering the Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed that "the topic of such a hypothetical has indeed been mentioned," referring to a Wall Street Journal report on a potential trilateral summit. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that such a meeting would "only encourage Putin to continue this war."
The US has denied making any changes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to Uzbekistan, backed Trump's call for Zelenskyy to focus on ending the conflict. Meanwhile, Trump has denied ordering a reduction in speeds on the Starshield satellite network, after Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX developed it, said such an order could only have come from the White House.
Russian strikes and the human cost
Russia's latest wave of missile strikes again targeted Ukrainian energy facilities and infrastructure across the country, knocking out power to more than 500,000 people and forcing emergency repairs to the battered grid. A strike near the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed six people, including three children, according to local authorities.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine received no early warning from its partners before the attacks, which also hit the capital region. "Once again, there was no early warning from our partners," he said, as he catalogued the damage, deaths and injuries. The lack of warning has further strained trust between Kyiv and Washington, which had previously provided real-time intelligence to help Ukraine defend against incoming missiles.
In a separate development, Zelenskyy spoke to Pope Leo XIV on Monday, days after the pontiff held a similar call with Putin. The Vatican said the pope had urged both sides to allow aid into the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky and to let civilians leave. The call follows the pope's earlier push for a truce in the region.
As Ukraine's allies in Europe watch the situation with growing concern, some are stepping up their own support. Kyiv is exploring European alternatives for air defence and satellite communications, while Zelenskyy has turned to Brussels for security guarantees. The coming weeks will test whether Europe can fill the gap left by a wavering Washington.
