Rubio says Ukraine interceptors may not have been delivered, but not for political reasons

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to media upon his arrival at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India, October 20, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/Pool

MUMBAI, Oct 20 - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday acknowledged that a batch of interceptors purchased for Ukraine under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program may not have been delivered, but that this was not because of any political intent.

"I think the important takeaway is that there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine," he told journalists as he kicked off his India trip.

"There's nothing being deliberately denied to Ukraine," Rubio said.

Rubio added that he had had a 45-minute conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday. Zelenskiy said the topics included ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian attacks and the situation with Starlink and Starshield satellite services, which the Ukrainian president said needed to be restored.

The comments come as Reuters earlier reported that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had yet to authorize delivery of the latest package of US weaponry purchased by NATO allies under PURL.

Zelenskiy had also said the Pentagon has delayed the delivery of missiles under the programme, as relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated this month as US President Donald Trump courted Moscow.

Reuters reported that the US had threatened to stop the PURL mechanism to press Kyiv to halt its deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, as Trump announced a Ukraine energy ceasefire with Russia. REUTERS