Trump undecided on allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he has not yet made a final decision on granting Ukraine a license to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the U.S. president said that Washington is considering this issue but is not yet sure about its decision. According to him, Patriot is an extremely powerful weapon, and the U.S. must carefully determine who to allow to produce it.

This statement came two days after Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. After the talks, the Ukrainian leader had reported that the parties discussed licenses for the production of Patriot interceptors and other defense projects.

According to the Financial Times, Zelenskyy stated after the meeting that Trump agreed to provide Ukraine with the necessary licenses. The Ukrainian president also expects joint production of missiles with American companies.

In early July, during a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump publicly said that the U.S. would allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles. Later, Zelenskyy discussed possible joint production with representatives of the Raytheon company.

Patriot missiles are critically important for protecting Ukrainian cities from Russian ballistic strikes. American companies RTX, which includes Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin are involved in the production of interceptors and system components.

Trump emphasized that his main goal now is to end Russia's war against Ukraine. He also reported that his representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to visit Ukraine in the coming days.

Based on materials from: Financial Times