President of the USA Donald tramp stated that Ukraine will be given a license to produce interceptor missiles for the air defense system "patriot”, which could help Kiev defend against Russian ballistic missiles.
"We're going to give you a license to produce patriots. I think they can produce them very quickly once we show them how," Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He stated that he had not yet informed the manufacturers of defense equipment "Lokid Martin" and "Raytion" about the decision, but he assessed that it "will end well", reported the BBC.
The Patriot system detects and intercepts missiles and is considered one of the most advanced air defense systems. One battery, with rockets, is worth about a billion dollars.
Trump indicated that US supplies are limited.
"We have patriots, but we don't have that many of them. We need them too," said the American president.
AP Photo/ Mystyslav ChernovThe meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Donald Trump at the White House in February 2025
Ukraine has been seeking additional Patriot systems for a long time, especially due to increased Russian ballistic missile attacks. At the end of May, Kiev announced that it had officially asked the US for approval for the licensed production of these systems.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the lack of interceptors is one of the main problems in defense against Russian ballistic missiles.
Nevertheless, some Ukrainian experts doubt that the production of such complex ammunition could be started quickly on Ukrainian territory.
Ivan Stupak, a former member of the Ukrainian security service, assessed that Ukraine currently does not have the ability to produce such complex equipment, stating that a more realistic option could be production on the territory of a European country with supervision.
According to him, the process could last several months.
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