President Donald Trump said the United States will grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump described the move as a way to let Ukraine produce Patriots for defense and indicated the U.S. does not intend to immediately provide additional Patriot interceptors, saying it needs the systems for itself. He said the complexity of producing the technology will be handled with support and that Ukraine could begin producing quickly once the U.S. brings the relevant company into the process.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly pressed Washington for licenses to manufacture Patriot interceptors, which are described as Ukraine’s key defense against ballistic missiles because of their high-velocity flight characteristics and steep trajectories. Trump also suggested he would apply pressure to Patriot-maker companies to enable production.
Reporting noted the Patriot interceptor system’s prime contractor is Lockheed Martin, with RTX (formerly Raytheon) also tied to the system, and that it was not clear whether manufacturing would take place in Ukraine or elsewhere.
The announcement came as Russia continues missile attacks on Ukraine, including continued strikes on Kyiv, with Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepting many drones but lacking enough Patriot interceptors to stop ballistic missiles in those attacks.
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