Trump to give Ukraine "a license" to make Patriot defense missiles in war against Russia

Ankara, Turkey - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington would give Kyiv "the right to make" Patriot air-defense missiles as he met Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at NATO's summit.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with US President Donald Trump (R) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on Wednesday.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with US President Donald Trump (R) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on Wednesday.  © SAUL LOEB / AFP

"So one of the things we're going to be talking about is we're going to give a license 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 Zelensky.

"We haven't informed the company of that yet, but that'll work out all right."

Ukraine has been struggling to shoot down Russian ballistic missile attacks as supplies of the crucial US-made Patriot interceptors run low.

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Despite Moscow's heavy bombardments of Kyiv in recent days, Ukraine appears to be turning the tide in the war by stabilizing the front line and conducting strikes deep into Russia.

Trump said that those strikes could help to end the war.

"It's an escalation, but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end," Trump said.

The US president repeated his belief that both Zelensky and the Russian leader Vladimir Putin want to strike a deal to halt the fighting.

"The president wants to get it done, and I believe that President Putin wants to get it done, and that should be a good combination," he said.

Cover photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP

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