Le président américain Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a decision that would constitute a major step forward for Kyiv, which had long sought permission to produce these air defense systems on its territory.
Speaking alongside the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky At the NATO summit in Ankara, Donald Trump declared: “We’re going to license you to manufacture Patriots. That’s pretty cool. That way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough.” He also emphasized the defensive nature of this technology, stating that he preferred “a defensive weapon to an offensive weapon.”
The US president, however, provided no details on the terms of this license or the timeline for its implementation. Analysts nevertheless believe that this authorization would represent significant strategic support for Ukraine, even though the country also needs more interceptors available in the short term to counter Russian attacks.
This meeting marks a significant shift in Donald Trump's tone toward Volodymyr Zelensky. In the past, the American president had sharply criticized his Ukrainian counterpart, even calling him "ungrateful." On Wednesday, however, he praised his effectiveness and asserted that relations between Washington and Kyiv were now "very good."
Donald Trump also stated that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the conflict triggered by the Russian invasion of February 2022. He added that he was scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later that day and that a meeting between the two leaders was being considered soon.
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