During Wednesday’s NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump announced an offer to Ukraine, granting them the right to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. This move is intended to enhance Kyiv’s ability to defend against Russia’s ongoing ballistic missile attacks.
Addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Trump stated, “We are gonna give you a licence to make Patriots,” adding, “I think they can produce them very quickly once we explain it.” He acknowledged that he had not yet informed defense manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon of his decision, but expressed confidence that “that’ll work out alright.”
The Patriot system is widely recognized as one of the world’s most advanced air defense systems, capable of detecting and intercepting missiles. However, it is also among the most expensive, with a single battery, including missiles, valued at approximately $1 billion (£740 million). Production is also a lengthy process, with the US Department of Defense reporting only 600 missiles produced annually.
The United States itself has reservations about distributing its Patriot stockpiles, having utilized more than half of its inventory earlier this year during its conflict with Iran, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Mr. Trump reiterated this concern, saying, “We have Patriots, but we don’t have that many. We need them for ourselves too.”
Ukraine, however, faces an urgent need for these systems. Moscow has intensified its ballistic missile strikes in recent months, resulting in dozens of fatalities in Kyiv alone over the past week. President Zelensky confirmed in late May that Ukraine had formally requested US authorization for licensed Patriot production. He has described ballistic missiles as Russia’s “last major advantage,” noting their high velocity and steep trajectory make them exceptionally difficult to intercept, often piercing Ukraine’s depleted air defenses.
Earlier this week, the Ukraine Air Force reported a “serious shortage” of interceptor missiles, which meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles launched by Russia on Sunday night were shot down, leading to over 20 deaths. Mr. Trump indicated that the US would provide Kyiv with the production license to prevent them from being able to “complain that we’re not giving them enough.”
Despite the offer, some skepticism exists in Kyiv regarding the feasibility of producing such interceptor missiles on Ukrainian territory at this stage. Ivan Stupak, a military expert and former security service officer, told the BBC that while Patriots are crucial for Ukraine’s defense, “Unfortunately, Ukraine is not able to produce such kinds of advanced munition, because it’s really sophisticated, cutting-edge equipment.” Stupak suggested that for security reasons, “Technically and legally, I think this will be deployed to European soil instead – and supervised,” a process he believes could take many months. He emphasized, “It’s a matter of security. We have no safe place on the entire Ukrainian territory.”
During the news conference, Mr. Trump also acknowledged Ukraine’s recent successes in launching long-range strikes on Russia, hitting targets thousands of kilometers from the front line. He characterized this as “an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seated beside Mr. Trump, added that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries were necessary to demonstrate to Moscow “how difficult it is to defend its airspace,” thereby pressuring the Kremlin to end the war.
Mr. Trump has previously made similar comments, though his past efforts to broker talks between Kyiv and Moscow have not yielded results. He again raised the possibility of a meeting between President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the conflict. Putin has repeatedly expressed openness to such a meeting, but only if held in Moscow – an invitation widely seen as a provocation given the unlikelihood of Zelensky agreeing to travel to Russia. When Mr. Trump asked the Ukrainian president if he was prepared to go to the Russian capital, Zelensky quipped, “It’s difficult – there are a lot of Ukrianian drones there,” referencing Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks on Moscow.
It also has lengthy production times, with only 600 missiles produced per year, according to the US Department of Defence.
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