ANKARA (Realist English). US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 that the United States would grant Ukraine a licence to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems.
The statement came on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We are going to give you a licence to produce Patriots. That’s pretty cool, right? That way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving you enough. Produce them yourselves,” Trump said.
The US president also noted that “it’s defensive weaponry, which I like more than offensive.”
‘Make Them Yourselves’: Details of the Announcement
Trump stressed that missile production in Ukraine could be launched fairly quickly: “I think they can produce them pretty fast. As soon as we explain, we’ll bring the company here. You work with the company. They have a great ability to produce weapons, rather sophisticated weapons.”
At the same time, the US president admitted that he had not yet notified the manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed Martin of his decision, but expressed confidence that “everything will be fine.” “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled,” he added. According to Trump, production could begin as early as autumn.
The details of the licensing agreement remain unclear. It has not been specified whether production will be organised directly on Ukrainian territory or in Europe under strict US control.
Trump also made it clear that the US does not intend to immediately supply Kyiv with additional missiles from its own stockpiles: “We have Patriots, but not that many. We need them ourselves.”
Critical Air Defence Shortage
The announcement came amid an acute shortage of air defence systems in Ukraine. Earlier that week, the Ukrainian Air Force stated that due to a “serious shortage” of interceptor missiles, none of the 23 ballistic missiles launched by Russia on Sunday were shot down. The attack killed more than 20 people.
Ukraine had been seeking US permission for licensed Patriot production for nearly a year. Zelensky repeatedly stressed that ballistic missiles remain “Russia’s last big advantage” and called on partners to step up support for creating a European missile defence programme.
According to CSIS, the US used more than half of its Patriot arsenal during the war with Iran in early 2026, making Washington even more reluctant to transfer missiles. At the same time, global Patriot production is only about 600 missiles per year.
Reaction and Significance
In Kyiv, Trump’s decision was met with cautious optimism. Former SBU officer Ivan Stupak expressed doubt that Ukraine could produce such sophisticated munitions on its own territory due to security risks and a lack of necessary facilities.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna called the Ankara meeting a source of “several important strategic signals” on cooperation. US lawmakers also welcomed the initiative. Republican Congressman Don Bacon said the manufacturer “can’t keep up with demand, and this will certainly help.”
Trump’s decision, even without implementation details, is one of the most significant defence-industrial commitments the US has made to Ukraine since the beginning of the special military operation.
However, as former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul noted, “Ukraine needs air defence interceptors now, and cannot wait for future production.”