Ankara, July 8, 2026 – The Europe Today: United States President Donald Trump announced that Washington would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense missiles under a licensing arrangement, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara.
Speaking during the meeting on Wednesday, President Trump said the United States would grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot missile systems domestically, a move aimed at strengthening the country’s air defense capabilities.
“One of the things we’re going to be talking about is we’re going to give a licence to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool, right. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough,” Trump told Zelenskyy, according to media reports. He added that the manufacturer had not yet been informed of the decision but expressed confidence that the arrangement would proceed.
The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to face sustained Russian ballistic missile attacks while grappling with dwindling supplies of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, which have played a key role in protecting critical infrastructure and urban centres.
Despite intensified Russian bombardments of Kyiv in recent days, Ukrainian forces have reportedly stabilised sections of the front line and continued conducting long-range strikes against targets inside Russia.
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara, where allied leaders are discussing regional security challenges and continued support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.
