AI-generated illustration

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington's policy toward Ukraine has not changed "in any way," after reports that shipments of Patriot air defense systems requested by Kyiv had not been approved.

Speaking to reporters in Wisconsin, Hegseth denied many media claims about the department and said the administration wants its own forces to have as much equipment as possible.

Recent US policy moves

Trump said on 9 October that the United States had agreed with Russia on supplies of hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to lower global fuel prices, temporarily suspending sanctions in return.

In a statement on 19 October, Trump claimed Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy, with whom relations have recently strained, was unwilling to make a deal with Moscow. "Perhaps it is time for Zelenskiy to hand the negotiations over to someone else," Trump said.

Sources quoted by the Wall Street Journal on 20 October claimed that Hegseth had not formally rejected the Patriot systems Ukraine requested to intercept ballistic missiles, but had not completed the steps needed for approval.

Key takeaways

• Hegseth said the US stance on Ukraine has not changed "in any way."
• He denied media claims about the Defense Department and said US forces should have as much equipment as possible.
• He said Trump wants peace and both sides to agree, and that US stockpiles are being replenished.
• Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Hegseth had not formally rejected the Patriot shipments but had not finished the approval steps.