Kyiv (TDI): The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has announced that Ukraine will receive HIMARS rocket launchers and missiles for the Patriot air defense system in the first batch of weapons sent by the United States.
The weapons will arrive in Ukraine under the latest funding program agreed upon by the United States and European allies.
President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has already received more than $2 billion from partners, specifically via the NATO-led initiative, Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List (PURL).
Ukraine has already received over $2 billion from partners specifically for the PURL initiative. In October, we expect additional funds, bringing the total to around $3.5-3.6 billion.
The first two packages, worth $500 million each, will certainly include missiles for Patriot and…— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 17, 2025
The Ukrainian President further stated that the country expects to receive additional funding in the month of October, bringing the total aid to around $3.5 to $3.6 billion.
While talking to the reporters at a joint press conference with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Kyiv, President Zelenskyy confirmed that the first two batches, worth $500 million each, “will definitely include missiles for Patriot and HIMARS.”
Both the Patriot air defense system and the HIMARS ground-launched rocket-propelled artillery have been very crucial in the Ukraine fight against Russia.
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NATO’s senior representative in Ukraine, Patrick Turner, informed the reporters, “Four packages under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List have already been funded and the equipment is already flowing.”
It is important to note that the US President, Donald Trump, has criticized the US defense spending in Ukraine on several occasions. The PURL initiative, launched in July 2025, enables the NATO members to purchase the US weapons and send them to Ukraine.
Since January this year, the Trump administration has only shipped those weapons to Ukraine that were authorized by the former US President, Joe Biden, who was a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
