Zelenskyy says Trump clears Ukraine Patriot production licence (Img: IANS)
New York: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said US President Donald Trump had told him that he had made the "final decision" to allow Ukraine to produce interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defence system.
"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'," said Zelenskyy, according to AFP.
The announcement comes several weeks after Trump reversed his earlier pledge to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptors. The reported decision could eventually help Kyiv strengthen its domestic air defence production.
The development comes as Ukraine faces a serious shortage of Patriot interceptors, with the limited supplies allowing an increasing number of Russian missiles to get through its air defence network.
Russia has intensified its missile attacks in recent months, taking advantage of Ukraine's dwindling interceptor stocks. The strikes have increasingly focused on civilian areas and critical infrastructure, including facilities linked to electricity and heating.
The bombardments are expected to intensify during the winter, when attacks on energy infrastructure could have a greater impact on the civilian population.
Observers have said attacks targeting civilians and critical infrastructure are aimed at undermining Ukrainian morale and increasing public pressure on Zelenskyy to accept Russia's maximalist terms. The assessment reflects an interpretation of the objectives behind the attacks rather than an established fact.
While Zelenskyy has repeatedly pushed for a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptors domestically, such a move would not immediately address Ukraine's shortage of missiles.
Establishing the required production infrastructure, recruiting and training staff, and developing supply chains would take several months and potentially more than a year. Until then, Kyiv would remain dependent on existing stocks and supplies from its allies.
Ukraine is also developing its own anti-ballistic missile system, known as Freya. Kyiv hopes to combine different interceptor systems to strengthen its defences while working towards domestic Patriot interceptor production.
Last month, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had only around 10 per cent of the Patriot interceptors it needed to counter Russian missile attacks. He also argued that even 5 per cent of US interceptor stocks could help Ukraine defend itself during the winter.
"This year, we have two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025. Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before. Each night you have attacks, and four or five times per month we have massive attacks—terrible nights. Very heroic, very resilient people really but they [are] tired," Zelenskyy added.
