Zelensky Says Trump Will Allow Ukraine to Manufacture Patriot Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US President Donald Trump had made a final decision to allow Ukraine to obtain a license to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles, a key Ukrainian request as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its defenses against Russian aerial attacks, Charlotte Reck reported for CNN.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York before the agreement was reached. [Photo: NATO Flickr]

“There are concrete agreements in place,” Zelensky told reporters.

“During our last meeting, President Trump emphasized that, yes, I have made the final decision: Ukraine will receive a license to manufacture Patriot missiles.”

Zelensky and Trump met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week. Zelensky has repeatedly pressed Washington for permission to produce Patriot interceptors under license.

Trump had previously suggested in July that Ukraine could receive such a license. In remarks that month, he said the United States would discuss giving Ukraine the right to manufacture Patriots and that the system was complex to produce.

However, CNN noted that Zelensky was the source of the latest assertion and that neither Trump nor the US manufacturer had independently confirmed the agreement at the time of the report.

Zelensky also said Washington had proposed three-way talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. He said no date had been set and that the US had suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue.