Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated today that U.S. President Donald Trump will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot-type air defense missiles, reports CNN.
This is a key demand from Kyiv to Washington so that Ukraine can defend itself against ongoing Russian attacks.
“There are concrete agreements. During our last meeting, President Trump emphasized: ‘Yes, yes, I have made the final decision: Ukraine will receive a license to produce Patriot missiles,'” Zelensky told reporters.
The two presidents met during the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
CNN writes, however, that it remains to be seen whether Trump will fulfill his promise that Ukraine will receive a license from the U.S. to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
The U.S. had previously supplied Kyiv with this advanced system for shooting down ballistic missiles, which Russia has relentlessly used to strike Ukraine in recent months. However, Washington’s stockpiles of these missiles are now depleted, and dozens of countries are rushing to strengthen their missile defenses, while Moscow is taking advantage of this in its war against Ukraine.
During the NATO summit in Turkey in July, Trump proposed that Ukraine be granted the right to produce Patriots, but withdrew the offer a week later.
With the shortage of Patriots, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has risen significantly, and its capital, Kyiv, has been particularly targeted by Russian ballistic missiles.
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