Trump Says U.S. Will License Ukraine to Make Patriot Missiles, Details Unclear

President Trump said July 8 that the United States will grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air-defense missiles. He made the announcement during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Bestepe Presidential Compound on the sidelines of a NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Trump stated the license would allow production of the interceptors domestically in Ukraine or on European soil.

A single Patriot battery with missiles costs roughly $1 billion, and current annual production stands at about 600 missiles. The United States has drawn down more than half its Patriot missile stockpile in earlier conflicts. In one recent strike, none of 23 incoming Russian missiles were intercepted, resulting in more than 20 deaths.

Trump estimated Ukraine could begin producing Patriot missiles by fall 2026, according to the New York Post. Fox News reported that Trump said the United States had not yet informed RTX, the prime contractor for the Patriot system, of the licensing plan. Accounts differ on the location of any future production.

One report indicated Trump referred to domestic production inside Ukraine. Another stated he referred to production overseas without specifying the location. A third account said it remained unclear whether production would occur in Ukraine, Europe, or both.

Trump described the Patriot system as a defensive weapon and stated he prefers defensive over offensive weapons, Fox News reported. Military experts in Kyiv expressed doubt that full-scale production could begin quickly inside Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year, and Patriot interceptor missiles are the only tool in Kyiv's arsenal that can shoot down Russia's ballistic missiles.

NATO leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with $80 billion to help meet its defense needs this year and next. Trump said the Ukrainian president has “done an amazing job” and “been very effective” in the war.