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Ongoing5 earlier updates5 days

This story has run 6 times over 5 days, starting Oct 15.

  1. UpdateUkraine's military Starshield satellite terminals stop working above 160 km/h; Musk says the U.S. military and Trump set the limit
  2. UpdateTwo U.S. officials and a Western official say the order to cap Ukraine's Starshield terminals came from the White House
  3. UpdateTrump denies ordering speed caps on Ukraine's Starshield terminals; nine senators ask Pentagon watchdog who did
  4. UpdateZelensky says Ukrainian road tests show Starlink and Starshield cut out above 161 km/h only inside Ukraine
  5. UpdateBessent declines three times to say whether Ukraine is a U.S. ally; Zelensky says backing Putin would be a 'historic mistake'
  6. UpdateTrump administration has not approved Patriot interceptor transfers to Ukraine, including from European allies' stocks — this issue
THE WASHINGTON POSTUpdate

Trump administration has not approved Patriot interceptor transfers to Ukraine, including from European allies' stocks

Russia-Ukraine war
Political Guyentist · October 20, 20262 min read

THE WASHINGTON POST

Zelensky told senators Ukraine has "almost no" U.S. Patriot interceptors left and that a new package is waiting on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's signature.

Washington has not signed off on sending Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, The Washington Post and Reuters reported Monday, Oct. 19. That includes missiles European partners already own. Patriot is the U.S.-made system Ukraine uses to shoot down incoming missiles.

Zelensky's account. On a call with senators from both parties, Zelensky (President, Ukraine) said the missiles "are ready, and they could already be in Ukraine … but unfortunately there is still no approval."

His read. He said the delays, together with other recent U.S. limits on help, suggest "some political decision has been made to slow down support for us." That motive is his inference. The reports do not show that anyone ordered a slowdown.

Catch upwhat happened before · 5 earlier issues
  • Oct. 14 — Ukraine's military Starshield satellite terminals cut out above 160 km/h; Elon Musk said the U.S. military and Trump set the limit.
  • Oct. 15 — Two U.S. officials and a Western official said the White House ordered the cap. Thom Tillis (Sen-R North Carolina) sought a Pentagon watchdog probe.
  • Oct. 16 — Trump denied that he or Musk ordered the caps; nine senators asked the Pentagon inspector general who did.
  • Oct. 17 — Zelensky said Ukrainian road tests show the cutoff applies only inside Ukraine; the jets filling in hit about half their targets.
  • Oct. 18 — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent three times declined to call Ukraine a U.S. ally and said European NATO members "have plenty of Patriots."
4 earlier issues

What we’re less sure of4 of 7 claims