Trump backs Zelensky, says Ukraine can build Patriot missiles

Donald Trump said in Ankara that the United States would give Ukraine a license to make Patriot missile interceptors, a sharp turn that could increase pressure on Moscow even if it changes little on the battlefield right away. Speaking beside Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit on July 8, Trump said, “We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots,” and called Patriots “a defensive weapon.”

The meeting in Turkey stood in clear contrast to Trump’s February Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy and signaled a warmer relationship between the two leaders. The Kremlin downplayed Trump’s reversal, but also said it could cause the war to last longer, a reaction that showed Moscow sees the announcement as both military pressure and diplomatic pressure ahead of any broader negotiating push.

The problem is speed. The Congressional Research Service says Patriot systems and their interceptors are expensive and limited in supply, and the U.S. first announced on December 21, 2022, that it would provide Ukraine a Patriot battery as part of a larger $1.85 billion security-assistance package. Ukraine has long sought more Patriots because the interceptors are central to defending cities and critical infrastructure from Russian missile and drone attacks, but a licensing deal still needs U.S. industry and government buy-in before production can become real.

The latest air war data show why the timing matters. The Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces failed to intercept any ballistic missiles in Russia’s two most recent massive strike packages on the nights of July 1-2 and July 5-6. The same assessment quoted Ukrainian intelligence deputy head Vadym Skibitskyi as saying Russia can produce 60 to 65 Iskander ballistic missiles a month, a production rate that keeps Ukraine’s air-defense gap under constant strain.