New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in an audio message Friday that US President Donald Trump agreed to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missiles, ending months of uncertainty over the deal.
“There are concrete agreements in place… At our last meeting, President Trump emphasised to me that, ‘Yes, I have made a final decision. Ukraine will receive licences for the production of Patriot missiles,’” Zelenskyy said.
The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile surface-to-air missile system developed by US weapons maker Raytheon to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles. Ukraine has faced a shortage of Patriot interceptors, which are among the few systems capable of reliably countering Russia’s ballistic missiles. The shortage began in February, when the US-Iran war diverted Patriot missiles away from Ukraine.
The licence covers domestic production of Patriot interceptor missiles, not entire battery ecosystems like radar arrays or launching stations. Ukraine will continue to rely on the US and European allies for those components.
The initial commitment from the US came in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July during the 81st NATO summit. Trump discussed allowing Ukraine to produce the missiles domestically in response to concerns over supply, telling Zelenskyy to “make them yourself”. Asked about US defence contractors, Trump acknowledged they had not yet been informed but added that “they’ll be thrilled”.
The position was reversed on 31 July at Camp David during a cabinet meeting. Asked about the agreement, Trump said: “We have not agreed to that… We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology… Nobody else has that capacity. These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them… those people you give the technology, they could someday turn on you.”
Days later, Trump reiterated his position during a press briefing in the Oval Office, saying the US also needed to replenish its own missile stocks and pointing to the volume of ammunition supplied to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.
“We want missiles too. Biden gave him so much, Biden gave $300 billion worth of ammunition,” Trump said.
In August, Zelenskyy launched a media campaign highlighting Ukraine’s depleted air defences. By early September, the US administration’s position had shifted to a cautious “maybe”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said negotiations were “still ongoing” but cautioned that even after approval, establishing new production capacity could take several years.
The deadlock was broken at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, when Trump and Zelenskyy held a 40-minute meeting. Zelenskyy secured final authorisation directly from Trump, bringing months of uncertainty over the Patriot production deal to an end.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
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