Former President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, a move he stated would address concerns about the sufficiency of American military aid.
"We're going to give them the license to build the Patriots," Trump said during a news conference, sitting alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He characterized the decision as a way to prevent Ukraine from "complain[ing] that we're not giving them enough."
Ukraine formally requested authorization from the U.S. for licensed production of the Patriot missile system in late May. This request emerged as the conflict enters its fifth year with stalled frontline fighting and as Russia continues to target Ukraine with hundreds of drones nightly. Ballistic missiles, which Zelensky described as Russia's "last major advantage," are particularly difficult to intercept due to their high velocity and steep trajectory.
The Ukraine Air Force recently reported a "serious shortage" of interceptor missiles, stating that none of the 23 ballistic missiles Russia launched on a Sunday night were shot down, an attack that resulted in over 20 fatalities. The Patriot system is considered highly effective against these threats, though it also has lengthy production times.
Trump suggested that authorizing production in Ukraine could be seen as an escalation but argued it could also expedite an end to the war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also present, commented that Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries were necessary to demonstrate to Moscow the challenges of defending its airspace, potentially encouraging the Kremlin to seek an end to the conflict.
During the press conference, Trump also reiterated his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is amenable to a deal to end the war. Trump stated he speaks with Putin often and claimed the Russian leader wants to negotiate. However, previous efforts by Trump to broker talks between Kyiv and Moscow have not yielded results.
Trump also raised the possibility of a meeting between Zelensky and Putin to discuss ending the conflict. Putin has previously expressed openness to such a meeting, provided it is held in Moscow. Zelensky responded to Trump's inquiry about traveling to the Russian capital with a quip alluding to Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Moscow, stating, "It's difficult – there are a lot of Ukrainian drones there."