President Donald Trump has said that the US will give a license to Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems to help counter Russian missile attacks, an announcement that brings huge relief for Ukraine which has badly needed the technology for the war now in its fifth year.
Speaking as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said, “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots.” “We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said, adding, “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.”
Patriots are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce. Zelenskyy has for years been asking for more of them, and more recently for a license so that Ukraine can manufacture its own.
Trump also said that the US makes great drones, but it might buy from Ukraine because “they have an ability to make a lot of them” and called it “amazing.”
“It’s an amazing ability, very cheap. You’re very talented people. So uh, yeah, I think we’re going to make that deal. You know, if we made that deal, we’d have great protection.”
Donald Trump
Additionally, Trump praised Zelenskyy’s willingness to reach a deal on ending the fighting in Ukraine.
He said that the Ukrainian President has “done an amazing job” and “been very effective” in the war. “We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe,” Trump said, adding that he believed a deal on ending the war was on the horizon and that the US would “work on some kind of security package” to provide to Ukraine.
On his part, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his support and said that he wanted to discuss weapons supplies, possible peace negotiations and a developing drone deal. “Air defense is the priority,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv wanted to share details of its needs under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, in which European allies and Canada are buying American weapons to help his country.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukrainian and US officials had begun work on a drone deal, calling it “a very good beginning.”
This comes as fighting between Russia and Ukraine persists. Russian drones and missiles killed four people across Ukraine today in attacks before dawn and at midday, as Moscow kept up its pressure on the capital of Kyiv in the latest phase of the over 4-year-old war.
In Kyiv, several explosions were heard shortly after midnight, even before authorities could issue an alert to give civilians time to find shelter. According to city administration Head, Tymur Tkachenko, the early morning Russian attacks killed one woman and injured two others in Kyiv. The State Emergency Service said that the attack damaged several administrative buildings and warehouses, as well as a garage complex and several trams.
Hours later, another Russian drone struck Kyiv’s Desnianskyi district, killing a second person and injuring six others. A total of eight people were injured in the attacks on the capital.
In Kharkiv, two people were killed and 20 others were injured in a series of overnight strikes, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Ukraine’s air force says Russia fired 169 long-range strike drones and seven missiles, including five ballistic missiles. It said that air defenses shot down or jammed 139 drones, and two anti-radar missiles didn’t reach their targets.
All five ballistic missiles and 20 drones struck targets at 15 locations, the air force said, stressing the continued strain on Ukraine’s air defenses. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it struck an arms industry facilities in Kyiv, hitting a plant that manufactured components for Flamingo cruise missiles and a facility assembling mid- and long-range drones.
In a declaration following today’s summit, NATO leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with $80 billion to help meet its defense needs this year and next, noting “the long-term threat Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security.”
Concern has been mounting among some countries with borders near Russia that Moscow might be preparing a hybrid attack, a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks, on the continent as President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.
Trump Hopes Russia, Ukraine Come To Negotiating Table
Moreover, Trump said that he’d like to see the leaders of Russia and Ukraine sit down together. Trump said that he’s talked about it with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said was open to a meeting but wanted to host in Moscow.
Trump said he rejected the idea on behalf of Zelenskyy. Sitting across from Zelenskyy, Trump asked directly if he would meet in Moscow. The Ukrainian President answered, “It’s difficult, there are a lot of Ukrainian drones there.” He added, “It’s dangerous.”
Trump was expected to have another call with Putin following his meeting with Zelenskyy.
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