Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praised the “strong decision by the US State Department” but warned that deliveries of the Patriot missiles may begin “only in a few years”, in a post on X early on Saturday.

The 500 PAC-3 missiles in the approved sale, estimated at 2.1 billion dollars, are yet to be manufactured, and delivery is not expected until a couple of years into the 2030s.