Trump Says US Will License Ukraine to Produce Patriot Air Defense Systems in Ankara

U.S. President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, that the United States will give Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia in their more than four-year war.

“Experts say Trump's plan to license Patriot missiles for Ukraine could take years "These things aren't like flipping on a light switch," one expert told ABC News”

ABC News

Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” and said, “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.”

ABC News

The BBC reported Trump said he had not yet informed defense manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon of his decision, “but that'll work out alright,” while the AP said the move was a “huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.”

The Guardian added that Trump admitted he had not spoken to Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon) that produce the Patriot system, and it said the commitment was “vaguely framed.”

Trump’s remarks to Zelenskyy came with a warmer tone than earlier encounters, with the AP quoting Trump saying, “We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe,” and saying he believed a deal on ending the war was on the horizon.

The Guardian reported Trump said, “A little birdie told me this, about the fact that we’ll give them the right to make Patriots,” while also saying, “We have Patriots, but we don’t have that many. We need them for ourselves too,” in a blow to Ukraine’s air defence capabilities in the short-term.

Actualités Ukrinform

ABC News quoted Bradley Bowman warning, “These things aren't like flipping on a light switch,” and said defense experts cautioned the offer would take years to materialize and do little to address Ukraine’s immediate needs.

RFE/RL quoted Colonel Yuriy Ihnat saying, “Russia is exploiting the fact that Ukraine -- and indeed the world -- is facing a serious shortage of [Patriot] interceptor missiles,” as Ukraine pressed for a steady supply of interceptors.

France 24 reported Zelenskyy said on Thursday that “technical details still needed to be finalised with the US before Kyiv could start manufacturing its own Patriot air-defence missiles,” while Trump had not provided a timeline.

The Hill said Trump told Zelenskyy, “We have Patriots, but we don't have that many. We need them for ourselves too,” and it described the announcement as not immediately translating into supplies for Ukraine.

Corriere delle Alpi, citing Ukrainian-sector experts, said it could take “da almeno 12 mesi a 3 anni” to produce Patriots under the U.S. license, and it quoted Serhii Beskrestnov saying, “non bisogna dare retta ai pessimisti e produrre i Patriot in Ucraina è possibile. L'unico problema è il tempo.”

BBC also carried skepticism from military expert Ivan Stupak, who said, “Unfortunately, Ukraine is not able to produce such kinds of advanced munition, because it's really sophisticated, cutting-edge equipment,” and argued the process could take many months and be deployed to European soil instead.