Zelensky says Trump assured him of Patriot licences, US yet to confirm

Zelensky says Trump gave reassurance on Patriot licences

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said President Donald Trump reassured him that Ukraine will receive licences to produce Patriot air defence missiles. In a post on X, Zelensky said the comments came during a meeting in New York earlier this week. He wrote that Trump stressed he had made his final decision and that Ukraine will receive licences to produce Patriot missiles. There has been no confirmation from Washington about a final decision.

The licence issue dates back to July, when the original promise was made. Weeks later, Trump backtracked, saying America should be very careful about letting somebody build them. US-designed Patriot missiles are critical to Ukraine's ability to intercept Russia's powerful ballistic missiles. Zelensky has repeatedly called for more interceptors to protect Ukraine's cities and infrastructure ahead of winter.

Russian strikes killed five people in the capital, Kyiv, including a 14-year-old boy. The attack underlined Ukraine's urgent need for air defence. Alexander Khara, a former adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence and director of the Centre for Defence Strategies, said he remained sceptical that the licence would be granted. He described Trump's foreign policy as erratic and said Trump tries to get along with President Vladimir Putin, and believes Putin more than his own intelligence community.

Khara said Trump may initially have assumed Ukraine would agree to Russian peace terms that amount to capitulation, with Patriot licences offered as a long-term security guarantee that might never come. He said Trump was trying to use the issue as leverage and had no intention of issuing such a licence. He added that Zelensky's public announcement creates a challenge if Trump now contradicts him.

Even if a licence is granted, production would not arrive in time for this winter, Khara said. Only the United States, Japan and, more recently, Germany produce interceptors. Germany received a licence in 2022 and is expected to produce its first missile at the end of this year. Ukraine would still need to go through an interagency process, secure confirmation in Congress and build facilities. The licence is therefore more about long-term security than immediate winter defence.

Ukraine hopes to negotiate transfers of interceptors from partners, including the EU, before winter. Khara noted that Russia has boosted its production of ballistic missiles, sometimes 110 or 120 percent. The gap between the political announcement and new production capacity means the immediate pressure on Ukraine's air defences is likely to remain.