Trump says he will permit Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles at NATO summit
The announcement marks a shift in US support after months of Ukrainian pleas for the interceptors, the only weapon in Kyiv's arsenal capable of stopping Russian ballistic missiles
The United States will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles.
That is what President Donald Trump said to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Ankara. "We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool. This way, you can't complain that we're not giving 'em enough," Trump said, adding, "Make them yourself."
Trump called the missiles a defensive weapon, which he said he liked, "better than an offensive weapon." Trump also said pressure could be applied to Lockheed Martin, the system's prime contractor, to ramp up production, though the company had not yet been informed.
However, Trump acknowledged the US is running low on Patriot missile stocks and needs the missiles more for itself as well, and that Ukraine would not receive additional interceptors immediately. Trump noted that he had not coordinated with Lockheed Martin ahead of the announcement, though he expressed confidence Ukraine could begin production quickly.
The announcement reflects a marked improvement in the Trump-Zelensky relationship since their heated Oval Office exchange in February 2025. Trump also dismissed the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin hosting peace talks in Moscow. Asked whether he would travel there, Zelensky said it would be "difficult," adding, "there are Ukrainian drones there, it's dangerous for me."
Zelensky separately renewed his appeal for Ukraine to join NATO, arguing Ukrainian forces' battlefield experience would strengthen the alliance, and said Ukraine is "eliminating" roughly 30,000 Russian troops a month. The talks came as Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight drone and missile strikes. In Ukraine, a Russian drone hit an apartment building in Kharkiv, killing two and injuring 34, while a missile strike on Kyiv killed one woman and injured two others. Russian drones also struck Odesa region infrastructure, injuring nine. In Russia's Saratov region, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person.
Zelensky said Ukrainian drones struck refineries in Saratov and Tatarstan along with six vessels from Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black and Azov seas. Ukraine's General Staff said it also hit the Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia's Voronezh region.