Trump backs away from pledge to let Ukraine produce Patriot missiles

US President Donald Trump has backed away from a pledge to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot air defence missiles, ERR reported. Speaking to reporters at a Cabinet meeting at his Camp David residence, Trump said transferring the underlying technology would be a difficult decision.

Asked whether he was prepared to grant Kyiv a licence to manufacture Patriot missiles in Ukraine, Trump gave an evasive response. “These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful when we allow someone to produce them,” he said.

Trump had raised the idea earlier this month at a NATO summit in Turkey. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later described the issue as a productive topic during his meeting with Trump at the White House this week.

Zelenskyy said after the meeting that Trump had agreed to grant Ukraine a licence to produce the missiles. Trump said only that “many things were discussed” and that “the meeting went very well.”

The two leaders met at the White House for just over an hour as Kyiv and Moscow intensified long-range strikes after US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war stalled.

Their relationship has warmed since the start of Trump’s second term. Earlier this month, Trump suggested that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory could help bring the war to an end.

According to the United Nations, last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, as Russia increased its use of ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept.