Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after the US agreed to grant the necessary licenses for the Patriot air defense system, his country must begin production of these missiles as soon as possible.
Speaking to reporters upon his return from the NATO summit in Turkey, Zelenskyy stated that political approval was obtained during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Ankara. "We have resolved this politically," Zelenskyy said, stressing that technical teams and ministry representatives must start work without delay.
At a joint press conference in Ankara, Trump told Zelenskyy, "We will give you a license for Patriot production. So you can't complain that we don't give you enough."
The Patriot is a US-made air defense system. Its PAC-3 interceptor is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles that Russia is increasingly firing at Ukrainian cities. As global stocks dwindle, Ukraine is consuming interceptors faster than they are produced in the US.
Zelenskyy noted that his meeting with Trump was successful and that he also secured agreements with European allies. "This was a productive summit for Ukraine. We will receive a package from the US in the coming days, and there were also some separate agreements," Zelenskyy said, implying that more PAC-3 interceptors had been obtained.
The Ukrainian leader said that Trump conveyed that only two or three countries in the world can produce Patriots, and that the US has accepted that Ukraine is ready to do so. "Now our teams, diplomats, foreign and defense ministries must finalize all remaining technical details. The sooner we make these agreements, the sooner we can produce Patriots," he said.
Production could take months
However, Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, warned that setting up domestic production would take months. In a statement on his Telegram channel, Beskrestnov said the production license would come with technical process documentation, expert training, supplier connections, and foreign consultants, but the main obstacle is time, noting that the production cycle for some subcontractor components could take 12 to 24 months.
During the NATO summit, Trump made a sharp reversal from his past criticism of the Ukrainian leader, telling Zelenskyy he was "doing a great job." Trump emphasized that he remains committed to facilitating a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
