Rubio: US Discussing License for Ukraine to Build Patriot Missiles

The United States is discussing whether to let Ukraine manufacture Patriot missiles, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the proposal would not quickly ease Kyiv’s air-defense shortages.

Rubio said the issue remains under negotiation and could eventually produce a positive outcome. But even with a license, increasing production would take years because factories would have to be built and the weapons are highly advanced.

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This is the subject of negotiations right now, although it is not an immediate solution.

“This is the subject of negotiations right now, although it is not an immediate solution,” Rubio said in an interview on Brian Kilmeade’s Fox News radio program. He added that the short-term problem facing Ukraine would remain unresolved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a July visit to Washington that he had discussed a manufacturing license with President Donald Trump. Trump said the United States needed to “be very careful” before granting such licenses, mentioning Tomahawk missiles as well.

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The whole world is asking for more interceptor missiles. They have become a priority for defense on a global scale, not only in Ukraine but everywhere in the world.

Kyiv and Moscow have intensified attacks in recent months, more than four years after the war began. Ukraine considers defense against ballistic missiles a top priority because they are particularly difficult to intercept. Rubio said demand for interceptor missiles had risen worldwide, including in the Middle East, and stressed that Washington must first ensure its own supplies are sufficient.

“The whole world is asking for more interceptor missiles. They have become a priority for defense on a global scale, not only in Ukraine but everywhere in the world,” Rubio said. He added, “Before we can help others, we must ensure that our stocks are sufficient.”

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Before we can help others, we must ensure that our stocks are sufficient.