Trump casts doubt on granting Ukraine license for Patriot

US President Donald Trump has not confirmed Washington's readiness to grant Ukraine a license to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. According to him, a final decision on this issue has not yet been made.

While speaking with journalists, Trump was asked whether the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture its own interceptors. The US President replied that he was "not sure" and called the Patriot an extremely complex weapon, stating that Washington must handle the transfer of its technologies with caution.

Thus, the license for the production of interceptors has not yet been issued. Trump's statement also implies that Ukraine may not receive such permission in the future, although the US President did not explicitly rule out the possibility.

The new position differs from Trump's statement made on July 8 at the NATO summit in Ankara. At that time, he publicly promised to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, describing them as defensive weapons.

After that meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv and Washington had reached a political agreement regarding the licenses. However, launching production required the finalization of technical, legal, and commercial terms with the US administration and the manufacturers of the system's components.

The Patriot system remains one of Ukraine's primary means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Kyiv is seeking not only additional shipments of ready-made munitions but also the capability to produce them independently due to interceptor shortages and regular Russian aerial attacks.

Trump explained his caution by noting that the Patriot is a high-tech weapon. He also stated that the main priority of his administration is to end the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Based on: press conference of Donald Trump