Trump Approved Patriot License Transfer to Ukraine, Zelensky Says

US President Donald Trump has made a “final decision” to grant Ukraine licenses to produce missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Friday, Sept. 25. Responding to a question in a shared WhatsApp chat with journalists that includes Kyiv Post, Zelensky said Trump had informed him of the decision during their recent meeting in New York on Tuesday.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Zelensky said that Trump told him, “Yes, I have made the final decision. Ukraine will receive the licenses to produce Patriot missiles.” Zelensky did not specify whether the decision covers PAC-2 or PAC-3 interceptors. PAC-2s are made in the US and under license in Germany, with some destined for Ukraine starting in 2027, while the more advanced PAC-3s are made only in the US and Japan. On Sept. 23, the US State Department told German outlet DW that discussions were continuing and that a final decision on licenses had not yet been made. During a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, Trump said the US would authorize Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defense systems. “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said at the time. “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.” But Trump later walked back the commitment. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on July 31, he said the US had not agreed to transfer the technology and that discussions were continuing. Other Topics of Interest US Proposes Ukraine-Russia Trilateral Talks in UAE, Zelensky Says The proposed meeting comes as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to broker an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Trump argued that Washington must exercise caution when sharing sensitive military technology because recipients could eventually use it against the US. Ukraine has sought permission to produce Patriot interceptors domestically as the system, with limited stocks in Ukraine and abroad, remains one of the few capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles. Shortages in July reportedly allowed nearly three out of four ballistic missiles to slip through. Zelensky has since announced new Patriot packages and deliveries, saying Ukraine raised its ballistic missile interception rate to 60 percent during an overnight strike between Wednesday and Thursday, without specifying how it achieved the improvement. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.