Trump says US will license Ukraine to make Patriot missiles
Trump said the U.S. would license Ukraine to make Patriot systems, a move that could ease shortages only if production follows. NATO paired the announcement with a 70 billion-euro Ukraine pledge.
Donald Trump said the United States would give Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, a step that could reshape Kyiv’s air-defense options even as it left the immediate supply gap unresolved. Speaking to Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said, “We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots,” while adding that the company that makes the system had not yet been informed.
Trump’s remarks pointed to the central constraint facing Ukraine’s air defenses: the United States does not have enough Patriot missiles to spare. Zelenskyy said Ukraine urgently needs more Patriot interceptors to blunt Russian missile and drone strikes, as the war moves toward its 4½-year mark. A license would not put interceptors into Ukrainian service overnight, but it would mark a shift from direct delivery alone toward possible domestic production, if the industrial and technical steps follow.
The meeting also reflected a softer tone between Trump and Zelenskyy after months of strain in their relationship. Trump sounded optimistic about peace prospects and cast the exchange as part of a broader recent thaw, even as he kept pressure on the military realities of the war and on Europe’s role in bearing more of the burden.
NATO used the summit to back that political message with fresh numbers. Allies pledged at least 70 billion euros in military equipment, assistance and training for Ukraine in 2026, and said they would sustain at least that level in 2027. The alliance also reaffirmed a goal of spending 5 percent of GDP on defense and security-related needs by 2035. Mark Rutte said allies had already reached about 4 percent one year into the 10-year effort.
Rutte also pointed to a broader industrial push inside NATO, announcing more than 50 billion euros in new procurement deals, a 40 billion dollar Drone Edge initiative over five years and a 27 billion-euro program to modernize fuel storage and distribution. The summit closed with a display of unity on Ukraine, but it also exposed the alliance’s unresolved tensions over defense spending, with Trump again pressing allies and singling out Spain. The Patriot licensing pledge suggested a practical opening for Ukraine’s air defenses, yet the scale and speed of any real change will depend on whether the announcement turns into production, supply and sustained political backing.
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