'They can produce it pretty quickly, once we explain it': Trump says Ukraine can manufacture Patriot interceptors

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States would grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a move that could significantly strengthen Kyiv's air defence capabilities as it continues to face Russian ballistic missile attacks, Reuters reported.Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said Ukraine would be allowed to produce the US-made interceptor missiles, which Kyiv has long sought to manufacture."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.Describing the Patriot system as a defensive weapon, Trump added, "It's a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon."Trump also said some Patriot interceptors could be sent to Ukraine immediately while expressing confidence that Kyiv could begin manufacturing them soon."We have Patriots, but we don't have that many. We need them for ourselves too," he said."I think they can produce it pretty quickly. Once we explain it, we'll bring the company here. You work with the company. They have a great ability to produce weapons, pretty complex weapons."

Trump further said his administration could pressure defence companies to support the effort."We have great power over the companies, those companies that make the Patriot," he said."We haven't informed the company of that yet, but that'll work out all right. I'm sure they will be thrilled."According to Reuters, Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the Patriot interceptor missiles. It was not immediately clear whether the missiles would be manufactured in Ukraine or another country.The announcement came as Russia launched another overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, the third such strike on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week. Ukrainian officials said air defences intercepted 139 of the 169 drones launched by Russia but failed to shoot down any of the five ballistic missiles used in the attack.The meeting also marked a notable shift in Trump's approach towards Zelenskiy. Trump said the two leaders had developed a "very good" relationship and that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the war.

He added that he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Wednesday."We've settled a lot of wars, and this one is the one that I thought maybe would be the easiest, but Putin is a difficult character, and this guy's a difficult character," Trump said, referring to Zelenskiy.Zelenskiy said he wanted to discuss "some very important details" with Trump and added, "I'm sure you will do everything to stop this war."Trump also said he believed the United States would reach an agreement to purchase Ukrainian-made drones, as Kyiv continues to expand its defence manufacturing capabilities and deepen military cooperation with partner nations.