The U.S. government has approved the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine for more than two billion dollars, the State Department said in a statement Friday.

This arms sale must be ratified by the US Congress and no timetable is given in the press release.

"Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway (...) and with national funds financed by the European Union support loan," details the American government, which specifies that "no American funds are committed."

American Patriot interceptors, valuable to Ukraine as the only ones capable of shooting down more sophisticated Russian missiles, are among the recent subjects of tension between Kyiv and Washington.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently expressed his frustration with the slow delivery of Patriot missiles to his country. Last week, he accused the United States of deliberately delaying them.

"On average, 12 (Patriot) missiles per month: that's what we will receive in 2026," the Ukrainian president revealed on Wednesday, also mentioning a "significant shortage of NASAMS missiles," Norwegian-made interceptors.

The following day, Volodymyr Zelensky called for "just and resolute actions from America and Europe in the face of Russian escalation".

Russian attacks continue unabated, with the exception of a respite around Olechky (south), where a localized ceasefire has entered its fourth day, making it the longest since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians, mediated by the United States, are scheduled to take place in November in the United Arab Emirates to try to find a solution to the conflict, the deadliest on European soil since World War II.