"It does not work that way," Zelenskyy slams America over delay in air defence systems

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has slammed the United States oF America over delay in missiles for Patriot systems. "The issue of air defense remains," he said.

The Ukrainian president said, "You cannot say, “Yes, we will give the missiles to you,” and then not deliver them for a month or two. It simply does not work that way."

Our conversation with the American side in Oslo was accompanied by three challenges. These were the shortage of air defense, restrictions on Starlink/Starshield, and restrictions on intelligence sharing from the United States of America. I am grateful to the Americans and our team that two of these issues – intelligence and Starlink/Starshield – have been resolved as of today. The issue of air defense remains. There is progress on missiles for Patriot systems, but things are moving very slowly. More slowly than Russian missiles fly. You cannot say, “Yes, we will give the missiles to you,” and then not deliver them for a month or two. It simply does not work that way. From an interview with Alla Mazur for TSN Week on 1+1, as part of the United News telethon. (1/5)

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 25, 2026