US poised to approve Patriot missile battery for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed Western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia.

Patriot missiles seen at the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, in Poland. US officials say the Biden administration is poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine (Evan Vucci/AP/PA)

The US is poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, finally agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian attacks, US officials have said.

The approval is likely to come later this week and could be announced as early as Thursday, said officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is not final and has not been made public.