NEW YORK—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that
Donald Trump made the final decision to authorize Ukraine to obtain a license
that would allow it to produce missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.
According to the Ukrainian president, the agreement was
discussed during his recent meeting with Trump, within the framework of talks
on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
Zelensky noted that the possibility of manufacturing these
missiles under a US license would represent an important step in expanding his
country's military production capacity and reducing dependence on foreign
supplies.
The Patriot systems are considered by Kyiv to be a key
component for protecting cities and infrastructure against Russian air attacks
and ballistic missiles. However, eventual local production would require time
to establish the necessary facilities, industrial processes, and manufacturing
conditions.
So far, not all the details regarding the scope of the
license mentioned by Zelensky, nor the expected timeline for starting
production, have been publicly disclosed.