US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot air defence missiles, in a move that represents a major boost for Kyiv, which has been seeking approval to produce these defensive weapons.
Trump made the announcement during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. "We will give you a licence to manufacture Patriot missiles... and that way, you won't be able to complain that we're not giving you enough," he said.
Trump added: "This is a defensive weapon, and I prefer it to an offensive one." He did not provide specific details, but the tone of the meeting was markedly different from his earlier harsh criticism of Zelensky, including Trump's description of him as "ungrateful."
Trump said on Wednesday that the relationship between the two had evolved and become "very good," and that both Moscow and Kyiv want to end the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022. He added that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later.
It remained unclear whether Kyiv would receive interceptor missiles in the short term, or whether they would be manufactured in Ukraine or in another country.
Asked whether the United States would immediately send additional Patriot missiles, Trump replied that "some" could be sent right away, and that he believed Ukraine could begin producing the missiles quickly.
"We have Patriot missiles, but we don't have a lot of them. We need them for ourselves too," the Republican president said. He added: "I think they can produce them very quickly. Once we explain it to them, we'll bring the company here. You'll work with the company. They have great capacity to produce weapons, very complex weapons."
Zelensky has repeatedly appealed for the US-made interceptor missiles, which are the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic projectiles that are difficult to stop due to their high speed and steep trajectory.
Trump said pressure could be applied to companies to produce Patriot missiles. "We have a lot of leverage over the companies, those companies that manufacture Patriot missiles," he said.
He added: "We haven't told the company yet, but it will work out fine. I'm sure they'll be enthusiastic about it." Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the interceptor missiles used in the Patriot system.
Officials said on Wednesday that Russia had fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv again overnight on Tuesday, in the third attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week, exploiting Ukraine's acute shortage of US-made air defence missiles.
Trump also said on Wednesday that both sides in the war want to reach a settlement, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky were "difficult."
"We've helped settle many wars, and I thought this one would be the easiest, but Putin is a tough character, and this man is also a tough character," Trump said, gesturing toward Zelensky, who was seated beside him.
Zelensky said he wished to discuss "some very important details" with Trump.
He told Trump: "I am sure you will do everything in your power to stop this war."
Moscow has intensified its air war on Ukraine over the past few months as its ground advance has largely stalled, while Ukrainian strikes on military logistics and the oil sector have caused significant fuel shortages inside Russia.