Trump says US will license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defence missiles

Trump’s announcement granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles marks a major win, says Kyiv Post correspondent Stefan Korshak, though setting up production could take a year. He also highlights NATO’s €70 billion support package as a substantial boost to Kyiv’s medium-term security. Renewed Middle East fighting, however, risks worsening interceptor shortages, even as NATO reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine’s defense.

The Ukrainian firm Fire Point has produced weapons that hit Russian territory. Its next goal, developing an antimissile system, is a much bigger challenge, experts said.

US President Donald Trump’s promise to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors has given a glimmer of hope to millions of Ukrainians terrorized by Russia’s deadly ballistic missiles strikes. Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said a “little birdie told me … that we’ll give them the right to make … The post Trump surprises Zelensky with public promise on Patriots – but the missiles may not come soon enough appeared first on Egypt Independent.

US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement that he will approve a license for Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors signals a potential breakthrough for Kyiv, though experts caution that it will not translate into an immediate fix.

US President Donald Trump says he may let Ukraine produce Patriot air defense missiles. Analysts welcome the move as a sign of support for the country — but warn it could take years before production begins.

US President Donald Trump says he may let Ukraine produce Patriot air defense missiles. Analysts welcome the move as a sign of support for the country — but warn it could take years before production begins.

A pledge by President Donald Trump to allow Kyiv to produce US Patriot air defence missiles is a victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but it could take at least a year to start producing them, defence experts say. With its chronic shortage of interceptor missiles likely to continue until then, Kyiv faces tough choices over which targets are a priority to defend as Russia keeps pounding its cities and energy infrastructure. Trump’s promise on Wednesday, when he met Zelensky during a Nato summit in Ankara, was a significant gesture of support that marked a huge improvement in their relationship since they clashed at the White House in February 2025. Patriot interceptor missiles are vital for Ukraine’s defence at a time when Zelensky says Russia, whose battlefield advances have stalled, is trying to leverage its advantage in ballistic missiles by hitting Ukraine hard. The Patriot is the only weapon in Kyiv’s arsenal capable of stopping Russian ballistic missiles. Ukraine has brought down only four of the 54 much-faster ballistic missiles launched by Russia this month. But Trump’s pledge was vague. He acknowledged he had not spoken first to the companies that manufacture Patriot interceptors — Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Experts say the time needed to build an assembly plant and organise contractors means production of Patriot PAC-2 interceptors made by Raytheon, or the more sophisticated PAC-3 from Lockheed, will not start soon enough to ease Ukraine’s situation in the near future. “Short term, the impact will be very limited,” said Fabian Hoffmann, a missile expert at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies in Oslo. “I would be very surprised if this is faster than 12 months. I would assume significantly longer.” By way of comparison, Raytheon reached an agreement with European weapons manufacturer MBDA in 2024 to produce GEM-T interceptors for the PAC-2 system in Germany and the first deliveries are not expected before early 2027. Conversations for PAC-3 production in Germany have so far not borne fruit. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said the company was focused on supporting the US government and its allies, and said further comments on the proposal should be addressed to the White House. Raytheon did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Production outside Ukraine? Ukraine has managed to fast-track military development in the war since Russia’s 2022 invasion, but defence experts say building a system to down missiles travelling at several times the speed of sound is the toughest challenge in missile technology. Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine’s defence ministry, said on Telegram there was uncertainty over how long it would take subcontractors to scale production of scarce components. One country that might be able to help Kyiv accelerate the process is Germany, which has developed a domestic production chain for PAC-2 interceptors. Two sources familiar with the discussions said the new interceptors were likely to be manufactured in Germany or another European country, where it is safer, and production could be shifted to Ukraine when the war ends. Zelensky said on Thursday technical teams would hammer out the details as quickly as possible but that he wanted production to start “in Ukraine as soon as possible”. He said a shipment of PAC-3 interceptors from the US was expected in “coming days”. He has also asked other allies to provide missiles from their own stockpiles and under a Nato-coordinated financial arrangement providing for European allies and Canada to transfer funds to the US to procure US-made weapons for Ukraine. Patriot missiles are not being produced in sufficient quantities to cope with Russia’s ballistic threat, as Russia is producing at least 700-800 Iskander ground-launched and Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles a year, experts say. Working on the principle that three Patriots are needed per ballistic missile to ensure an interception, they estimate some 2,400 interceptors would be needed per year if Russia’s output remains stable. “Even with a licensed production facility in Ukraine, reaching that number will be very, very difficult, if not impossible,” Hoffmann said. Lockheed delivered just over 600 PAC-3s last year and is aiming to scale its production to around 2,000 by 2030. A Ukrainian plant might produce 200 to 300 interceptors a year, Hoffmann said. Plan B needed? Zelensky has said Ukraine needs a Plan B. “The only right option is an alternative to the PAC-3,” Zelensky said on Wednesday. He hopes European allies involved in a nascent missile defence project called Freya, being led by Ukrainian company Fire Point, will soon meet in France. Fire Point is asking European companies to provide radar, data uplink and seeker solutions to bolt on to its existing missile technology, and hopes to have a cheaper alternative to the Patriot ready before year-end. “Fire Point’s Freya project is a long shot but if it works, the reward is enormous,” said Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London. Watling said there were other European options that should be feasible, such as the SAMP/T NG system developed by Eurosam — a joint venture of MBDA and France’s Thales — which he said would just need some technical adjustment and calibration of its radar. Zelensky said on Thursday he hoped Ukraine would receive these systems from France soon. Kyiv has previously floated the possibility of a truce on long-range attacks but Moscow rejected this. Zelensky has also sought to bring Russia to the negotiating table by attacking its energy infrastructure, sometimes deep in Russia. Kyiv’s choices look stark as Russia bombards Ukraine. “You can only defend a very small number of the targets that you would like to defend, so you need to figure out which ones those are,” Hoffmann said. Ukraine aims to increase the protection of energy, manufacturing and military infrastructure by placing them in protective concrete structures or underground, but Hoffmann said its best option may be to go more heavily on the attack.

President Trump said the United States would license Ukraine to produce Patriots, which can intercept ballistic missiles. But it could be months or years before those are ready.

The United States will grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors domestically, President Donald Trump announced from this week's NATO summit – as Kyiv's stockpile of the US-made air defence system runs critically low amid intensifying Russian strikes.

The United States is set to issue a license allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors, marking a notable evolution in U.S. military aid to Kyiv. Russia has raised alarms regarding the ramifications of this initiative. However, Ukraine must navigate considerable technical and logistical obstacles before commencing production, with insights from Germany and Poland indicating that establishing such manufacturing capabilities may take several years.

Russian strikes on Ukraine on July 8 killed at least seven people as Kyiv's army said it had hit several Russian tankers, in fresh overnight attacks ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO summit. During the meeting Trump said that the US will give a license to Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defence systems to help counter Russian missile attacks. A huge coup for Kyiv which has badly needed the technology for the war.

President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit Wednesday in Turkiye that the US will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defence systems to counter missile attacks from Russia in their more than four-year war, a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology. Allowing foreign manufacture of Patriots, which the US had resisted, was a turnaround for Trump that mirrored his day at the NATO meeting: Upon arriving, he lashed out at European partners for resisting his efforts to take control of Greenland and for not supporting his war in Iran. But by day's end, he described a gathering of unity and "tremendous love," and praised member nations on their progress in increasing their defence spending. Separately, the Trump administration also announced plans to rescind Syria's terrorism designation, in a key move toward lifting sanctions on the country. NATO's European members plus Canada have scrambled to meet the alliance's increased defence spending targets, which Trump h

The interceptors are the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles, whose high velocity and steep flight path make them hard to stop.

Ukraine has been struggling to down Russian ballistic missiles since the US-Israeli war against Iran hit supplies of the crucial US-made interceptors.

In a striking promise at NATO’s summit, US President Donald Trump told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington would grant Kyiv the “the right to make” Patriot air-defence missiles a move aimed at easing Ukraine’s growing shortage of the critical US-made interceptors. “So one of the things we’re going to be talking about is we’re going […]

Zelensky said he was “grateful for the strong emphasis placed on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense to better protect people’s lives."

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will give a licence to Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems to help counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for Ukraine which has badly needed the technology for the war now in its fifth year. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.

President Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will grant Ukraine's request for a production license to build Patriot missile interceptors for defense. CBS News national security analyst Aaron MacLean has more.

US President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Wednesday that he would allow Ukraine — desperate for missile defenses after withering Russian strikes — to build its own Patriot interceptors won’t be easy or quick.

US President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Wednesday that he would allow Ukraine — desperate for missile defenses after withering Russian strikes — to build its own Patriot interceptors won’t be easy or quick.

Trump gives Zelenskyy vague promise of licence to manufacture Patriot missiles  The GuardianTrump says Ukraine will get licence to produce Patriot missiles  BBCIn shift, Trump praises Zelensky, will let Ukraine build Patriot missiles  The Washington PostTrump hands Patriot missile blueprints to Zelensky  The TelegraphLive updates: Trump says US will allow Patriot air defense systems to be made for Ukraine  AP News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded for the US-made interceptors - the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles.

U.S. President Donald Trump has put forward an unexpected proposal to localize the production of missiles for the Patriot air defense system in Ukraine, a move that places major American defense corporations in an extremely difficult position. Trump Announces Patriot Missile Production Proposal for Ukraine Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defense system. "Then you won't be able to complain that we're not giving you enough—make them yourselves," Trump said during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Licence would be diplomatic coup for Kyiv but process of making munitions would likely be expensive, complex and longEurope live – latest updatesDonald Trump has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine may be allowed to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors to counter Russian ballistic attacks. It would be a diplomatic coup for Kyiv, which has been struggling to counter Moscow’s increasing missile threat.The US president’s commitment, however, was vaguely framed, and he admitted he had not spoken to the US defence and aerospace companies Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon) that produce the Patriot system. It also remained unclear how quickly manufacturing of the expensive and complex munitions could be stepped up. Continue reading...

US President Donald Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit Wednesday that the US would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture its own Patriot air-defence systems. Patriot interceptor missiles are the only tool in Kyiv's arsenal that can shoot down Russia's deadly ballistic missiles.

President Donald Trump said that the U.S. will give a license for its Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas for Ukraine to counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for that nation.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will give a licence to Ukraine to build Patriot air defense systems, a major boost for Kyiv as it battles Russia. Trump announced the move during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy the U.S. would license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, adding the companies had not yet been informed.

Ukraine has been struggling to shoot down Russian ballistic missile attacks as supplies of the crucial US-made Patriot interceptors run low.

"A little birdie told me this, about the fact that we'll give them the right to make Patriots," President Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will give a license to Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems to help counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for Ukraine which has badly needed the technology for the war now in its fifth year.

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a bilat today at the NATO Summit. At the Meeting Trump said he will allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a key weapon in repelling Russian attacks. Trump said US manufacturers would go to Ukraine to explain the process, and predicted Ukraine could produce the missiles "pretty quickly". (Source: Bloomberg)

President Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles for its defense, giving Kyiv a vital weapon against the Russian invasion.

By Gram Slattery and Humeyra PamukANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a huge boost for Kyiv, which has long sought permission to produce the defensive weapons."We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool. This way, you can't complain that we're not giving 'em enough," Trump said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the NATO summit in Ankara.

President Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. is granting Ukraine the ability to co-produce key air-defense weapons, the Patriot missiles, which are critical to defending against Russian ballistic weapon attacks hammering the country. Trump made the remarks alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from a NATO summit in Turkey following an intensive lobbying campaign by Ukraine...

US President Donald Trump said he will allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a key weapon in repelling Russian attacks.