Zelensky Says Trump Made Final Decision on Patriot Missile Production License

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US President Donald Trump has made a final decision on granting Ukraine a license to produce missiles for the Patriot air defense system, according to Ukrinform.

Zelensky said Ukraine has reached specific agreements enabling it to obtain the necessary licenses for domestic production of Patriot interceptor missiles, a step Kyiv has long sought as it looks to reduce its dependence on foreign supplies of the US-made air defense system.

Patriot systems have played a central role in Ukraine's defense against Russian missile and drone strikes throughout the war, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly requested additional batteries and interceptor missiles from Western allies, warning that existing stockpiles are being depleted by sustained Russian attacks.

Domestic production of Patriot missiles, if realized, would mark a significant shift in Ukraine's air defense capabilities, potentially easing supply bottlenecks that have constrained the availability of interceptors. Zelensky's statement did not include a timeline for when production might begin or details on manufacturing capacity.

Neither the White House nor the manufacturer of the Patriot system, US defense contractor RTX, was quoted in the Ukrinform report confirming the arrangement described by Zelensky.