Former President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that he would provide Ukraine with the rights to produce its own Patriot air-defense missiles. The announcement came ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.
Trump indicated that this arrangement would allow Ukraine to overcome critical shortages of the missiles. "This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough," he remarked.
According to Trump, the United States could help Ukraine establish production capabilities by the fall. "We’ll show them how to do it. It’s very complex, actually, but it’s — you’ll figure out the complexity quickly," he said. He estimated that American companies could have production plants operational within two to three months.
Patriot missiles have faced persistent supply challenges, contributing to recent instances where Ukraine has been unable to intercept Russian missile strikes. This proposed licensing agreement aims to address those ongoing deficiencies by enabling domestic production.