U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced following their meeting at the White House.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said the agreement builds on discussions that began during the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Türkiye.
“We started in Ankara with the idea of granting Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles. This is important because we need more of them, and we need them faster,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the Ukrainian president, Trump approved the request during their White House meeting.
“Today we had a very good meeting with President Trump. He agreed to provide us with the licenses,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy added that he later met with executives from major U.S. defense companies to discuss the possibility of joint production.
“I hope we will establish joint production. This is extremely important,” he told Fox News.
Earlier on Tuesday, speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Zelenskyy said he had discussed Ukraine’s urgent air defense requirements with Trump and U.S. senators.
“The real issue is anti-ballistic systems and anti-ballistic missiles. Of course, I shared with the president exactly what we need,” Zelenskyy said.
The potential licensing agreement would mark a significant step in strengthening Ukraine’s domestic defense industry as Kyiv seeks to expand its air defense capabilities amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
