In brief
During a NATO summit in Ankara, Donald Trump promised Ukraine the right to produce Patriot missiles, a system that could help counter Russia’s increasing ballistic‑missile strikes. The Patriot, valued around $1 billion per battery, has long production limits and is vital for air‑defence. Ukrainian experts are sceptical that Kyiv can build the sophisticated weapons on its own, though a licence would enable faster access. Trump framed the move as part of broader U.S. support, while also discussing Ukraine’s long‑range strikes and the possibility of talks with Russia.
In Wednesday’s NATO summit in Ankara, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would grant Ukraine a licence for licensed production of Patriot interceptor missiles, a move aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s air‑defence against a surge of Russian ballistic‑missile attacks.
'We are gonna give you a licence to make Patriots,' Trump said to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that production could be begun quickly once the U.S. provided the technical details.
Trump noted that he had not yet informed Lockheed Martin or Raytheon, the firms that build Patriot missiles, but promised the process would go smoothly.
A Patriot battery, consisting of a radar, control station and launcher that can hold up to 16 missiles, is one of the world’s most advanced air‑defence systems and is valued at roughly $1 billion. The U.S. Defence Department reports that only about 600 missiles are produced annually, meaning new stock is hard to come by.
President Trump explained that the United States has already used more than half of its Patriot stockpile during the Iran‑War, and that the country still needs the missiles for its own security.
Ukraine, on the other hand, faces a critical shortage. Over the last week, Moscow launched several ballistic missiles that hit Kyiv, killing dozens of people and overwhelming the existing air‑defence network. Without sufficient Patriot missiles, the Ukraine Air Force reports that many incoming missiles go undetected.
Military expert Ivan Stupak, a former security‑service officer, cautioned that Ukraine’s current industrial infrastructure is not capable of producing such sophisticated munitions. He said the licence would more likely lead to production elsewhere in Europe and would be supervised from there.
Trump also talked at the summit about Ukraine’s successful long‑range strikes against Russian targets, noting that these operations could help bring an end to the conflict. He echoed his earlier statements that discussions with President Putin might be possible, though Putin has only offered such talks in Moscow.
