Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh draws attention to a massive black market arms trade in weapons sent to Ukraine, which he says the West is well aware of.
– Poland, Romania, other countries on the border were being flooded with weapons, says the veteran journalist.
Reports of missing arms shipments have even appeared sporadically in the US media. For example, the commercial for the documentary Arming Ukraine, broadcast by CBS last August, featured a claim by the founder of the pro-Ukrainian NGO Blue-Yellow that only 30% of military aid actually reaches the front line. However, the statement was later edited out of the documentary itself.
Seymour Hersh has taken a closer look at the smuggling and, in a statement in Going Underground, says that it takes place via Poland and Romania.
– Poland, Romania, other countries on the border were being flooded with weapons we [the US and allies] were shipping for the war to Ukraine. Often, it wasn’t generals, it was colonels and others, who were given shipments of some weapons, [who] would personally resell them… to the dark market, he explains.
The journalist pointed out that last year there was still concern in the West that some of the weapons sent to Ukraine, such as Stinger missiles, could be used, for example, to "shoot down an aircraft at a considerable height".
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that Western weapons are being smuggled out of Ukraine, seriously deteriorating the security situation elsewhere in the world.
– NATO military supplies intended for the Kiev regime end up in the hands of terrorists, extremists and criminal groups in the Middle East, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in October last year.
She estimated the turnover of the black market at $1 billion per month.
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In September, a Ukrainian rocket fuel factory was established in Sønderjylland, Denmark – now the collaboration is taking another step with a weapons export office in the capital.
Ukraine plans to open two arms export offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berlin, Germany, before the end of the year, despite expected Russian reactions. The aim is to finance domestic production of in-demand weapons systems by selling surplus production, confirms President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen welcomes the announcement, but Danish television channel TV 2's defense correspondent Anders Lomholt warns that the decision is not without risks for Denmark.
— Russia will definitely see it as a provocation. We saw very sharp reactions when it was decided to allow a Ukrainian factory near Vojens where they will manufacture rocket fuel, says Lomholt.
Denmark and Germany were selected due to their willingness to cooperate both at the state level and within the defense industry. The offices will promote exports of Ukrainian weapons that are not in high demand domestically, while the revenues will be used to purchase advanced American weapons systems.
— This is about weapons that we can afford to sell, so that we get money for our domestic production of things that we lack and that we don't have enough money for, says Zelensky.
Revenue finances US weapons
From the Russian side, there is according to the defense correspondent great dissatisfaction that Denmark is not only supporting Ukraine, but also actively promoting Ukrainian arms industry with massive weapons support.
Among the weapons that Ukraine continues to develop and export are the Flamingo and Ruta missiles. The money from exports will be used to purchase expensive American weapons systems such as Patriot missiles and the Tomahawk cruise missile, although the latter still lacks approval from the United States.
Zelensky also states that Ukraine aims to produce 600-800 interceptor drones per day by the end of November. These are used to fill gaps that have emerged due to a shortage of air defense systems.
— This is really very good news for Denmark and especially for our defense industry, that they now prioritize cooperating even more closely with Denmark, claims Troels Lund Poulsen
Today's announcement is the latest development in the increasingly deep cooperation between Denmark and Ukraine. In September, it was announced that a Ukrainian company will produce rocket fuel for the Ukrainian defense forces in Sønderjylland.
Montage. Photo: Bernd vdB, President of Ukraine/CC BY 4.0
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is preparing contracts for an additional 25 Patriot air defense systems. Each system costs approximately $1 billion.
Ukraine has received additional American-made Patriot air defense systems from Germany. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this on Sunday.
The increasingly questioned and pressured president publicly thanked German Chancellor and former BlackRock executive Friedrich Merz for the delivery of new American air defense systems. The previous agreement between the countries has now been implemented, the president announced on Sunday.
"Our agreements have been fulfilled. More Patriots are now in Ukraine and being put into operation", he stated.
Ukraine has long demanded more advanced weapons from its Western allies, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and additional Patriot batteries. According to New York Times reporting in May, the country owned eight Patriot systems, but only six of these were operational.
"More systems needed"
Zelensky was clear that he wants even more weapon deliveries going forward.
"Of course, more systems are needed to protect key infrastructure sites and our cities across the entire territory of Ukraine, and we will continue working to obtain them – not only at the political level with states and leaders but also directly with manufacturers of all necessary air defense systems and missiles for them", the president continued.
Russia's Ministry of Defense claims to have destroyed approximately 40 Patriot launchers since 2023.
Today, we can already say there is a good result for our air defense – Ukraine now has more Patriots. I thank Chancellor Merz, I thank Germany, and everyone who helps – our agreements have been fulfilled. More Patriots are now in Ukraine and being put into operation.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 2, 2025
New contracts being prepared
US President Donald Trump has so far declined to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but has instead urged NATO countries to purchase American weapons on Kiev's behalf. Moscow has consistently stated that no foreign support will change the battlefield situation in Ukraine's favor.
Last month, Zelensky said that Ukraine and the US are preparing a contract for 25 Patriot systems. He added that deliveries could take several years unless EU countries show "goodwill" by prioritizing Kiev or transferring systems they already own.
With a cost of approximately $1 billion per system, Ukraine hopes to finance the purchases through an EU loan backed by frozen Russian assets. Russia has, for its part, condemned all attempts to confiscate its assets as theft.
Photo: Ulf Kristersson/X, Russian Ministry of Defense
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a visit to Saab in Linköping, Sweden, where a letter of intent regarding the export of around a hundred Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine was promised. Simultaneously, Russia conducted a large-scale nuclear weapons exercise, including the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region.
Russia carried out a large-scale nuclear missile exercise on Wednesday, while Sweden signed a letter of intent to export Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. The announcement comes one day after the United States announced that a planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been postponed.
The Kremlin released video footage showing Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reporting to President Putin about the exercises. Russia launched missiles from ground-based platforms, submarines and aircraft, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States. However, the missiles did not contain live nuclear warheads.
During critical phases of the Ukraine war, Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia's nuclear capabilities as a warning to Kyiv and its Western allies. NATO also conducted nuclear deterrence exercises in October.
1️⃣ Russia successfully tests 'Yars' intercontinental ballistic missile during strategic nuclear forces training pic.twitter.com/HevLZDB5uu
Sweden announced that the country has signed a letter of intent to export Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. The announcement comes as European governments intensify their efforts in the Ukraine war, which has now lasted three years and eight months.
Ukrainian pilots have been in Sweden to test the Gripen, a robust and cost-effective alternative to the American F-35.
— We have begun work to acquire Gripen and expect that the future contract will provide us with at least 100 such aircraft, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Swedish defense company Saab.
Kyiv aims to receive and begin using the aircraft as early as next year.
I am proud to have welcomed President Zelenskyy to Sweden and Linköping.
Today we have signed an important Letter of Intent, marking a step towards a massive possible export deal regarding Gripen - likely between 100 and 150 fighter jets, to build a new and very strong… pic.twitter.com/ObUPKxdxfJ
After months of stalled diplomacy, Putin and Trump spoke last week and unexpectedly announced that they would hold a summit in Hungary within a couple of weeks. But after a phone call between the countries' foreign ministers, the White House announced that Trump has no plans to meet Putin "in the foreseeable future".
Trump explained that he did not want a "wasted meeting" – something the Kremlin said Putin also wants to avoid.
— The dates have not been set yet, but thorough preparation is needed, and that takes time, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The delay came after Russia reiterated to the United States its conditions for peace, including that Ukraine should hand over control of the entire Donbas region, according to three sources to Reuters. This represented a rejection of Trump's statement that both sides should stop at the current front lines.
Shares in European defense companies rose on news of the postponed summit. Most European governments strongly support Kyiv and have pledged to increase their military spending for the war.
Donald Trump has, according to multiple sources, urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to Russia's demands to end the war in Ukraine. A stormy meeting at the White House on Friday was reportedly marked by raised voices, heated arguments, and Trump's repeated echoing of Putin's positions.
During the meeting, Trump allegedly warned Zelensky that Putin had threatened to "destroy Ukraine" if the country does not accept the terms, reports Financial Times.
Sources with insight say the meeting between the parties devolved several times into "shouting matches", where Donald Trump used profanities and threw frontline maps across the room.
Trump reportedly insisted that Zelensky must hand over the entire Donbass region to Moscow, and repeated arguments that Putin had made in a phone call the day before. At the same time, he later supported freezing the current frontlines, reflecting his shifting stance on the issue.
Zelensky and his delegation had hoped to convince Trump to deliver Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, but the US president refused.
If the reports are accurate, the meeting can be compared to the contentious meeting in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky for lack of gratitude toward the United States.
The meeting between Zelensky and Trump in February earlier this year ended in open quarreling. Facsimile: Fox4
Zelensky's position unchanged
European officials report that Trump repeatedly echoed Putin's arguments word for word on several occasions, even when they contradicted his own previous statements about Russia's weaknesses.
One official said Trump called the conflict a "special operation, not even a war" and warned Zelenskyy that Ukraine risked destruction.
Trump also expressed that Russia's economy "is doing well", which contrasts with his previous public statements that Putin's economy is near collapse.
Zelensky commented to journalists: —Trump wants a quick victory - an end to the war - and that would be a victory for all reasonable people. Putin, however, wants the total occupation of Ukraine.
After the meeting, Zelensky stated that he had made clear to Trump that Ukraine's position remains unchanged. Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he was convinced the conflict could be ended, adding that Putin "going to take something, he’s won certain property".
While peace negotiations between the parties are marked by disagreement and stubbornness, fighting continues with undiminished intensity (archive image June 2025). Photo: screenshot/Youtube/@CNN
Donbass in exchange for other regions
Putin has proposed in talks with Trump that Ukraine hand over all of Donbass in exchange for smaller areas in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. However, Zelenskyy stated that there is still no clarity about exactly what Russia is willing to give up in these regions.
Ukrainian officials warn that giving up the remaining Donbass would give Moscow territory that it only partially controls, since the war began over three years ago.
Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of Ukraine's foreign affairs committee, says: – To give the Donbas to Russia without a fight is unacceptable for Ukrainian society, and Putin knows that. It’s not about getting more territory for Russia; it’s about how to destroy us from within.
Trump's repetition of Putin's rhetoric dampened hopes among many European allies for increased support to Kiev, despite him previously expressing frustration over Putin's unwillingness to negotiate directly with Zelensky.
Zelensky commented after returning home: – We have moved closer to a possible end to the war. That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
