The reported holdup follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Monday briefing with a bipartisan group of US lawmakers organized by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis, where he warned that missile packages already paid for by European partners were awaiting Hegseth's signature. During the call, Zelenskyy said Ukraine received no US early warning before a wave of Russian ballistic missile strikes—the third such lapse in a short period—and continues to face unaddressed Starlink and Starshield speed restrictions above 130 to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) along the front.
Zelenskyy told the lawmakers that Kyiv offered to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days if the US helped protect Ukrainian skies for the same period, but said Washington has shown no willingness to accept the proposal. The dispute comes after President Donald Trump waived new sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act and struck a deal to allow Russian diesel exports ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections while demanding Ukraine stop hitting Russian refineries.