Zelenskyy blasts red tape over Patriot systems as 'real missiles are flying'
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Bureaucracy has become a major obstacle to obtaining licenses to produce Patriot systems. According to President Zelenskyy, if Ukraine had received them four years ago, it would already be supplying these systems to both itself and Europe.
Zelenskyy says he requested Patriot production licenses as early as the first year of the war, including from then-US President Joe Biden.
Similar requests for licenses were also made to European partners whose weapons Ukraine began using during the first and second years of the war.
The president explained that the partners have very limited production capacity and that some issues remain unresolved.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has now reached an agreement with US President Donald Trump on obtaining the licenses. However, the president stressed that this step should have been taken much earlier.
"Imagine if we had received them four years ago. We would already be making Patriots for everyone. Europe, which wants and would like to have Patriots, anti-ballistic systems and missiles, would already have all of it. I am absolutely sure of that," the head of state said.
The president stressed that while the paperwork is being processed, people continue to die under Russian strikes.
"And now we're dealing with paperwork. But what is flying is not a piece of paper, not a paper missile, but real missiles are flying that kill people," Zelenskyy emphasized.
He added that the licensing issue has taken a long time to resolve not only with the United States but also with European partners.
Earlier, in late July, during a meeting with Zelenskyy in Washington, Trump said he was ready to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles under license.
However, several days later, he clarified that no final decision had been made and that the United States needed to be very careful about transferring the secrets of this weapon.
