Patriot missile talks continue as US weighs production licenses for Ukraine

Official Washington is considering several options for future defense industrial cooperation. The United States' top priority remains protecting its own technologies.

In particular, the sides are discussing the following options:

• Manufacturing certain components in Ukraine, with final assembly in Europe (including Germany);

• Involving Ukraine in existing United States-European programs;

• Granting permission to build a lower-cost version of the PAC-3 missile.

The agency notes that the White House has not imposed an official ban on the negotiations. At the same time, United States Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Matthew Whitaker discussed opportunities for innovative cooperation during his visit to Kyiv.

Trump's position and Kyiv's needs

Ukraine urgently needs PAC-3 missiles to defend against the growing number of Russian ballistic missile attacks. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that existing interceptor stockpiles are running out.

The situation became more complicated after Donald Trump said the United States must be "very careful" about granting production licenses. However, during a phone call, United States Vice President JD Vance assured the Ukrainian leadership that previously reached agreements would be honored.

Timeline and alternative solutions

Even if an agreement is successfully signed, production of the new missiles will take at least a year or longer to begin. Because of this, Kyiv is also seeking other ways to meet its urgent needs, including through long-term procurement and supply exchanges with partners.

In addition, the United States company Lockheed Martin is already preparing to send a team to Ukraine to work out the details of the cooperation.

Missile production in Ukraine

On July 8, Zelenskyy met with Trump on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. After the talks, the United States president said Washington could allow Ukraine to establish its own production of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system.

Later, on July 28, Zelenskyy and Trump raised the issue again during talks. In addition to localizing the production of Patriot interceptors, the sides also discussed ways to intensify the negotiation process.

However, on July 31, Trump said that the United States had not granted Ukraine licenses to produce interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system and that this might not happen in the future. According to Trump, the United States must "be very careful about letting somebody build them."