Trump: U.S. Still Undecided on Patriot Missile License for Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is ‘not sure’ about granting Ukraine licenses to produce interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system.

He made the remarks during a phone interview with the Financial Times.

He added that the issue is currently under consideration in Washington.

“This is a very unusual weapon, and we need to be a little careful about who we grant licenses to. We don’t actually license the equipment itself,” Trump said.

The publication noted that the statement came two days after Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

During the meeting, the sides discussed, among other issues, the production of Patriot interceptor missiles, according to the Ukrainian leader.

Cooperation on Patriot missiles

In addition, the Ukrainian president spoke about negotiations with representatives of Patriot missile manufacturers regarding possible joint production.

The matter concerns Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with representatives of the U.S. company Lockheed Martin, during which further cooperation was discussed. The company manufactures PAC-3 interceptor missiles, which are designed to intercept ballistic missiles.

Five days earlier, the President of Ukraine met with a delegation from the U.S. company RTX (Raytheon) – the manufacturer of PAC-2 missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.

In early July, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at the possible granting of a license to produce missiles for the Patriot air defense system during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.

Later, it became known that Poland would cooperate with Ukraine in the production and maintenance of PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems.