Zelensky, Vance Talk Patriots Amid Trump Uncertainty

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday, July 31 that he held a “positive” phone call with US Vice President JD Vance, just hours after US President Donald Trump cast doubt on his previous decision to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missiles domestically. Zelensky detailed the call in a statement on Telegram, describing the session as “productive.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the president, the discussion focused on his July 28 meeting with Trump in Washington, as well as securing the much needed Patriot interceptors – the only weapons capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. “Russian air strikes on our country are not letting up,” Zelensky said, adding that “air defense... remains a top priority.” In recent months, Zelensky has repeatedly appealed to allied partners for Patriot systems, as Ukraine continues to face a critical shortage, while Russia continues its near-daily bombardment nationwide. Trump’s changing diplomatic stance The call comes as Trump’s previous stance on Patriot productions has taken a different turn, just days after the two leaders met. In a phone interview with the Financial Times on Thursday, Trump said he was “not sure” whether the US would grant Ukraine the license to produce the missiles. “We’re looking at it,” Trump said. “It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little careful about who we license it to. We don’t really license equipment,” he continued. Other Topics of Interest Russian Aerospace Force Loves Glide Bombs It Drops on Ukraine With Impunity Big numbers of modern, foreign fighter warplanes arriving in 2027 – 32 probably could fix Kyiv’s problem. At present sortie rates, Russia will drop 100,000+ more glide bombs on Ukraine by then. The idea that Washington would allow Ukraine to produce patriots domestically was first floated in Trump and Zelensky’s July 7-8 meeting, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. “We’ll show them how to make them,” Trump said. “This way you [Ukraine] can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough. It’s a make-them-yourself,” he continued. Following their latest meeting on Tuesday, Zelensky said Trump had “accepted that he will give us licenses,” clearing the way for Ukraine’s domestic production. Around the same time, Zelensky announced a possible joint weapons production deal with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. “We agreed that our teams will stay in touch and work through everything we discussed today,” Zelensky said after the call with Vance, adding that they also discussed “the impact of Russia’s war on global markets.” Congress, meanwhile, has moved forward with the late US Senator Lindsey Graham’s bipartisan bill, which would impose stricter sanctions on Russia and its energy revenues, financial networks, and partner countries. 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.