Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv must start producing these missiles as soon as possible after the US agreed to grant the necessary license for the production of Patriot air defense systems. Speaking to reporters upon returning from the NATO summit in Turkey, Zelenskyy said that political approval was secured during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Ankara.
Saying "We have resolved this politically," the Ukrainian leader said that technical teams, diplomats and relevant ministries must now start work immediately to finalize all remaining details. "The sooner we make these agreements, the sooner we can produce Patriots," Zelenskyy said.
US President Trump told Zelenskyy at a joint press conference in Ankara, "We will give you a license to produce Patriots. So you can't complain that we didn't give you enough." The Patriot is one of the few Western-made air defense systems capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles that Russia frequently fires at Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyy noted that his meeting with Trump was successful and that additional agreements were reached with European allies. "This was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days, we will receive a package from the US, and there were also some separate agreements," the Ukrainian leader said, indicating that more PAC-3 interceptors have been secured.
Setting up the production line will take time
However, Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine's Defense Minister, warned that setting up a domestic production line would take months. In a statement on his Telegram channel, Beskrestnov said the license would bring technical documentation, expert training and supplier contacts, but the main obstacle was time. The advisor said the production cycle for some subcontractor components could take 12 to 24 months.
During the NATO summit, Trump told Zelenskyy that he had done "a great job," a sharp turnaround from his past criticism of the Ukrainian leader. The US President also reiterated his determination to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
