U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States will grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a move aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses against Russian attacks. Trump made the remarks in a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a NATO summit in Turkey, with several outlets reporting he told Zelensky the U.S. would “give them the right” to make Patriot systems and that U.S. manufacturers would explain the production process in Ukraine. Bloomberg and CBS describe Trump as predicting Ukraine could produce the interceptors “pretty quickly,” while other reports characterize the change as a policy shift.
Multiple sources also emphasize the operational context: Ukraine faces continued Russian ballistic missile attacks, and Patriot interceptors are described as a key capability in defending against such threats. Several outlets note that Ukraine has repeatedly requested access to Patriot systems and that Patriot supplies have been constrained. Fox News and others add that relevant companies had not yet been informed, indicating implementation details are still developing.
