U.S. President Donald Trump has backed away from his earlier promise to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles under license, according to The New York Times.
According to the NYT, earlier this month, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said the United States was prepared to share the technology needed for Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles. At the time, he said Washington would “give them the right to make Patriots” and help Ukraine learn how to manufacture them.
However, on Friday, Trump said no such agreement had been reached. He argued that transferring advanced defense technology carries significant risks, warning that countries receiving such technology could one day use it against the United States.
Trump also stressed that the U.S. must carefully protect its most advanced military technologies. At the same time, he noted that his administration had previously supplied Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles, which he said played a key role in helping Ukraine resist Russia’s full-scale invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the two leaders had discussed licensing Patriot interceptor production during their recent meeting, describing it as one of several ideas aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses.
As The New York Times notes, such a project would require the United States to transfer sensitive defense technology and involve American defense companies in establishing production in Ukraine. The process could take months or even years, while any new production facilities in Ukraine would likely become targets for Russian strikes.
