Zelensky Met With Trump, Discussed Patriot Missile Production

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he held a productive meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, confirming that the two discussed Patriot licensing arrangements and ways to accelerate diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war. Zelensky detailed the closed-door meeting in a statement on Telegram, thanking Trump for continued joint cooperation. He also expressed condolences over the death of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, whom he called a “true friend of Ukraine.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Our teams will coordinate the details of their further communication,” Zelensky said, adding that he is “grateful to the United States for its strong support.” Patriot interceptors remain central to the discussion Zelensky confirmed the licensing arrangements he discussed with Trump would allow for domestic or allied production of interceptors for Patriot air defense systems, which Ukraine has repeatedly identified as one of its most urgent battlefield needs amid critical shortages. He said “some other ideas that could help” bolster Ukraine’s air defenses were also floated, though he did not elaborate on the specifics. Their long-awaited meeting came after the two leaders met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8, where Trump first signaled Washington would grant Ukraine a license to produce its own Patriot air-defense systems. During the same meeting, Trump had also praised Zelensky for doing “an amazing job,” showing a notable shift in his stance toward Zelensky and Ukraine. Because of his admiration of Ukraine’s battlefield gains, his administration confirmed that it is also discussing Kyiv’s ability to strike deeper inside Russia. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Sees No Official Evidence of Iranian Missile Strike Plans Iran said it would take "appropriate action" following attacks on commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea. For Ukraine, the PAC-3 is currently the only weapon capable of intercepting Russia’s Iskander-M, a ballistic missile carrying a half-ton warhead strong enough to tear down a quarter to half of a typical apartment block. Poland’s defense minister said preparations to produce Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles in Ukraine could begin within weeks, with Warsaw playing a key role in transferring the necessary technology. However, the planned production is expected to begin in Germany. On July 3, Lockheed Martin unveiled cheaper Patriot interceptors, PAC-3 ACE, designed to deter air and missile threats at less than half of the cost of the PAC-3 MSE as global demands surge. Following his discussions with Trump in Ankara, Zelensky announced on Thursday, July 23 that Ukraine is prepared to jointly produce Patriot interceptors with Raytheon, a major American defense contractor and a leading builder of military equipment. While Patriots remain scarce, Russia has already exceeded its estimated monthly ballistic missile production within the first 19 days of July, simultaneously expending at least two-thirds of its planned annual output of 3M22 Zircon missiles. 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.