'Not agreed to that': Trump shifts stance on Ukraine building Patriot missiles
US President Donald Trump has walked back previous signals regarding a potential licensing deal for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors. Trump emphasized that the administration is being cautious about the proposal while maintaining that his primary goal is to end the war.
Why it matters
The decision impacts Ukraine's defense capabilities against Russian ballistic missiles and highlights the evolving diplomatic stance of the new US administration regarding military aid.
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington has not agreed to Ukraine producing Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles, walking back earlier signals that Kyiv would be granted a production licence."We have not agreed to that," Trump said, adding that the US has "to be very careful about letting somebody build them."Trump's remarks mark a shift from his earlier comments at the Nato summit in Turkey, where he had signalled Washington would grant Kyiv a licence to produce the missiles. Following a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, Zelenskyy had said Trump "accepted that he will give us licences."Trump told the Financial Times on Thursday that he was "not sure" whether Washington would grant the licence, adding that "we're looking at it."
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