Ukraine’s Patriot production could take at least 12 months, Zelenskyy says
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
Due to bureaucracy, the rollout of the Patriot air defense system production by Ukraine will take anywhere from 12 months to several years. It should also be noted that this requires obtaining a license from the US, according to a statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the Yedyni Novyny telethon.
According to Zelenskyy, the political decision to grant Ukraine the necessary licenses has already been made by Washington, but its implementation requires going through the appropriate bureaucratic procedures.
"The decision has been made. It was approved by the President of the United States and other key state institutions of America. Ukraine is to receive the relevant licenses," Zelenskyy said.
The president emphasized that amid the full-scale war, Ukraine is forced to shorten the procedures that delay the strengthening of its defense capabilities as much as possible.
At the same time, the US, Europe, and other countries have established rules that cannot always be bypassed quickly.
"Bureaucracy, as I said, consumes lives because it consumes time," Zelenskyy said.
The president also noted that procedural issues can significantly affect the timelines for setting up arms and air defense systems production.
"Bureaucracy – this involves the implementation of systems, the production of air defense systems, which takes anywhere from 12 months to several years. This is, in principle, the nature of it," he explained.
Timelines for Patriot missile production
Zelenskyy stated that the timelines for launching Patriot missile production in Ukraine will primarily depend on which part of the technological cycle can be localized directly within the country.
According to him, the US does not transfer the full production cycle of a missile "from start to finish" to any single country. The manufacturing of individual components is distributed among several countries.
This is precisely why Ukraine seeks to obtain the maximum possible number of production components to reduce dependence on the complex supply chain through several European states.
"If we are talking about 3, 4, 5 European countries, it is very complicated. Why? Again bureaucracy, again the need for dialogue," Zelenskyy explained.
The president emphasized that this factor can directly affect the speed of production launch in Ukraine. He cited Germany as an example, where setting up Patriot missile production under a US license took over two years.
Moreover, this concerns the production of PAC-2 missiles, not the anti-ballistic PAC-3, which Ukraine aims to establish.
"As for production in Ukraine, as I said, the timelines will depend primarily on the partnership. What will they offer us?" the head of state emphasized.
Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine wants to minimize its dependence on production in other European countries. According to him, political processes, elections, or shifts in public sentiment could create risks for the supply of critical weapons.
"We really want it, regardless of politics. That is what we are doing," the president concluded.
Ukraine is awaiting a license from Washington to produce Patriot systems.
Additionally, Ukraine and the US have agreed on monthly deliveries of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv.
