Rubio allowed delay of missiles for Ukraine, but denied a U.S. policy decision

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not rule out that the transfer to Ukraine of a batch of interceptor missiles purchased by European allies could have been delayed due to the lack of final approval from the Pentagon. At the same time, he denied the existence of a policy decision by Donald Trump's administration to deliberately limit military support to Ukraine.

Rubio said this on October 20 while speaking with journalists in India, responding to a question about the supply of ammunition for Ukrainian air defense.

A journalist asked the Secretary of State about a batch of interceptor missiles that European partners purchased through the PURL program, but which, according to media reports, are still awaiting the signature of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Rubio did not deny the possibility of such a delay. He explained that every decision to transfer missiles is checked with regard to the needs of other allies, U.S. military bases, and the necessity to maintain minimum ammunition stocks.

According to the Secretary of State, U.S. military officials have to weigh whether interceptors are needed in other regions, in particular for the protection of U.S. facilities in Europe and the Middle East.

Rubio noted that the demand for interceptor missiles is currently extremely high. Such munitions are needed not only by Ukraine, but also by Saudi Arabia, Israel, and other countries.

According to him, the United States cannot fully satisfy the world demand for these missiles. Despite increased production, the manufacturing of complex weapons systems takes considerable time.

At the same time, the Secretary of State emphasized that Washington has not made a policy decision to deliberately deprive Ukraine of necessary missiles.

Rubio also stated that after a phone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he wanted to refute reports of an alleged deliberate halt in U.S. intelligence support.

According to him, President Trump has not given instructions to restrict intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The United States continues to provide information about Russian missile threats.

Commenting on the cases of absence of advance warning about ballistic attacks on October 13 and 18, Rubio suggested that they could be related to technical problems. In particular, he did not rule out failures during the processing of received data by the Ukrainian side.

At the same time, the Secretary of State noted that the circumstances of these incidents are still being checked. Therefore, the final cause of the absence of warnings has not been established yet.

Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is delaying approval for the transfer of additional Patriot missiles to Ukraine. According to the publication, part of the ammunition has already been paid for by European partners, but its delivery requires U.S. permission.

When exactly the relevant missiles might arrive in Ukraine, Rubio did not specify.

Based on: press conference by Marco Rubio, The Washington Post