According to him, Washington is “considering this issue.”
“This is an extraordinary weapon, and… we have to be a little careful about who we license. We actually do not issue licenses for equipment,” explained D. Trump.
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At the same time, the US president emphasized that his focus is on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He indicated that in the coming days his special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will visit Ukraine for the first time.
“Simply put, we want Russia’s war in Ukraine to end. I am not seeking missiles. We seek peace,” added D. Trump.
At the end of May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent an urgent letter to D. Trump and the US Congress warning about a critical shortage of air defense systems in Ukraine. Later, the president told journalists that in the letter he asked D. Trump to grant a license for the production of “Patriot” missiles.
On July 8, D. Trump stated that Washington will grant Kyiv a license to produce “Patriot” missiles – he spoke about this during a press conference with V. Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara, adding that the manufacturer had not yet been informed, but “everything will be arranged.”
On Tuesday, V. Zelensky met with D. Trump at the White House. They discussed licenses for the production of “Patriot” missile interceptors, as well as other initiatives that could strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. The leaders’ meeting lasted about an hour.
According to the Ukrainian president, during the meeting D. Trump agreed to expedite the issuance of the license for the production of “Patriot” missile interceptors to Ukraine.
“However, to start producing a large quantity of weapons will still take a lot of time – about one to five years. Such timelines are not suitable for Ukraine,” emphasized V. Zelensky.
During the same meeting, V. Zelensky also asked D. Trump to provide Ukraine with an urgent “winter package” of missiles for the “Patriot” air defense systems to repel future Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities.
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