Zelenskyy Says Trump Has Made Final Decision to Let Ukraine Produce Patriot Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that US President Donald Trump has made a final decision to grant Ukraine licenses to manufacture Patriot air-defense missiles domestically.

Zelenskyy said Trump confirmed the decision during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“At our last meeting, President Trump emphasised to me that yes, I have made a final decision. Ukraine will receive licences for the production of Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy said in a voice message to reporters.

The announcement comes after months of uncertainty over whether Washington would authorize Ukraine to manufacture the US-designed interceptors. Kyiv has repeatedly sought domestic production as it faces continuing Russian missile and drone attacks and shortages of air-defense ammunition.

Trump Had Previously Backed Away From the Plan

Trump first announced his intention to give Ukraine a production license during a meeting with Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Ankara in July.

At the time, Trump said Washington would give Kyiv the right to manufacture Patriot systems and provide the necessary technical assistance. The announcement followed sustained Ukrainian requests for greater access to the advanced air-defense technology.

The commitment subsequently appeared to be in doubt. At a Cabinet meeting later in July, Trump said the United States had not agreed to transfer the technology and described the decision as difficult because of the risks associated with sharing advanced military capabilities.

Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he had discussed the issue with Trump during their New York meeting but had not initially received a definitive answer. “I did not hear ‘no,’” he said on September 22.

His latest statement indicates that Trump has now given the Ukrainian president what Kyiv had been seeking: confirmation of authorization for production.

Kyiv Wants to Strengthen Air Defences

Ukraine has long regarded Patriot interceptors as a critical component of its air-defense network, particularly for countering Russian ballistic missiles.

Trump’s original July announcement was described as a significant policy shift because the United States had previously been reluctant to authorize foreign production of the system. However, analysts have noted that obtaining a license would not mean Ukraine could immediately begin producing large quantities of interceptors. Establishing the necessary industrial capacity and supply chains would be a complex and potentially lengthy process.

The Ukrainian presidency said in July that discussions following the Ankara NATO summit were already focused on implementing agreements concerning licenses for Patriot missile production.

Zelenskyy Links Production to Broader Defence Cooperation

Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States were continuing work on establishing production of Patriot interceptors inside Ukraine.

The issue was among the defence matters discussed during his latest meeting with Trump, alongside possible measures aimed at reducing tensions and creating conditions for diplomacy in the war with Russia.

For Kyiv, domestic production would offer a longer-term means of increasing interceptor supplies as Ukraine continues to depend heavily on foreign deliveries for its most advanced air-defense capabilities.

The reported US decision comes as Ukraine and its allies are also discussing broader cooperation on ballistic-missile defence. Poland recently joined a coalition with Ukraine and other countries seeking to develop an additional anti-ballistic missile capability.