Trump walks back agreement to give Ukraine license to produce Patriot missiles

Former US President Donald Trump has walked back his previous public commitment to grant Ukraine a license for producing Patriot interceptor missiles, expressing doubt in recent comments to the Financial Times.

Trump stated he was "not sure" about the license, adding, "we're looking at it." He described the Patriot missile system as "a very extraordinary weapon" and emphasized the need for caution regarding who receives such licenses, noting that the U.S. does not "really license equipment."

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It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and . . . we have to be a little bit careful of who we license to. We don’t really license equipment.

This development follows a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After their discussion, Zelensky had announced that Trump "accepted that he will give us licenses." Zelensky had previously identified "anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America" as his top priority.

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Our teams are already working on specific solutions to move to co-production as quickly as possible and increase our capabilities to protect lives.

Following the meeting with Trump, Zelensky also met with representatives from Lockheed Martin, a producer of Patriot interceptors. He indicated on X/Twitter that their teams were working on co-production solutions to enhance Ukraine's defensive capabilities. Ukraine has excelled in drone production but struggles with protection against ballistic missiles.

Earlier, Ukraine's envoy to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, had mentioned discussions with the Pentagon about a Patriot PAC-3 production license, a process she estimated could take one to five years. Officials from Patriot manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed Martin had reportedly engaged with Ukraine regarding potential expert teams.

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He has an intention to destroy Ukraine, and that's why, you know, we're looking for different capabilities.