Ukraine will be able to make Patriot interceptors: US

President Donald Trump says the United States will license Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors; This is a big boost for the country, which has long sought permission to produce defensive weapons.

During his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said, “We will give you a license to produce Patriots. That’s great. That way you can’t complain that we didn’t give them enough.” he said.

“This is a defensive weapon, and I like it better than an offensive weapon,” Trump said.

The tone of the meeting differed sharply from Trump’s harsh criticism of Zelenskiy in the past.

On Wednesday, Trump said the two had developed a “very good” relationship and that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Trump said he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Wednesday.

Trump praised Zelenskiy, saying he was very effective.

Asked whether the United States would immediately send additional Patriot missiles, Trump said he thought “some” could be sent immediately and Ukraine could quickly begin producing its own missiles.

“We have patriots, but not that many. We need them for ourselves too,” the US president said.

“I think they can produce it pretty quickly. Once we explain that, we’ll bring the company here. You’re working with the company. They have great talent in producing weapons, quite complex weapons.”

Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for US-made interceptors to be the only weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic projectiles (which make them difficult to intercept due to their high speed and steep flight path).

Trump said companies could be pressured to produce Patriot missiles.

“We have great power over the companies that produce the Patriot,” he said.

“We haven’t informed the company about this yet, but everything will be fine. I’m sure they’ll be excited,” Trump said.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the interceptor missiles that go into the Patriot system.

It was not clear whether the missiles would be produced in Ukraine or another country.

Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kiev again overnight, officials said Wednesday; This was the third attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week.

According to air force data, while Ukrainian air defense intercepted 139 of 169 UAVs during night attacks on the country, it was again unable to shoot down any of the five ballistic missiles used by Russia.

Trump said both sides of the war want the war to end, but Putin and Zelenskiy are both in a “difficult situation.”

“We’ve solved a lot of wars, and I thought maybe this would be the easiest, but Putin is a difficult character and this guy is a difficult character,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskiy, who was sitting next to him.

Zelenskiy said he wanted to discuss “some very important details” with Trump.

“I’m sure you will do everything to stop this war,” he told Trump.

Russia has stepped up its air war on Ukraine in recent months as its ground advance has largely stalled and its attacks on Ukraine’s military logistics and oil industry have triggered widespread fuel shortages.

Trump also stated that he thought the United States would make a deal to buy unmanned aerial vehicles from Ukraine.

Ukraine has developed a highly advanced drone industry despite having limited expertise when Russia invaded.

Ukraine has signed nine “drone agreements” with other countries, including agreements with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands announced on Tuesday.