NATO Summit Ends With New U.S. Weapons Contracts and Ukraine Production License

NATO leaders announced $3 billion in new contracts with U.S. weapons producers at the close of the summit. The contracts cover purchases that officials said would support U.S. industry and increase American weapons output.

Officials stated that NATO members are working toward a target of 5 percent of GDP on defense and national security by 2035. They added that purchases should support U.S. industry.

Sitting beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the U.S. president said the United States would give Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot systems. "We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool," he said. "This way, you can't complain that we're not giving 'em enough.

" The company involved had not yet been informed, he noted. Lockheed Martin, which produces PAC-3 interceptors, did not respond to a request for comment. Raytheon, which produces the PAC-2 version, declined to comment.

By the close of the summit, his tone toward the alliance had shifted. He told reporters that the meeting featured "tremendous love in that room" and praised the alliance's "unification." The summit addressed the Russia-Ukraine war and alliance defense spending levels.