By Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk
ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a huge boost for Kyiv, which has long sought permission to produce the defensive weapons.
“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 at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the NATO summit in Ankara.
“It’s a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon,” Trump said.
The tone of the meeting was a sharp departure from Trump’s past harsh criticism of Zelenskiy, which has included Trump calling him “ungrateful.”
On Wednesday, Trump said the two had developed a “very good” relationship and that both Moscow and Kyiv wanted to end the war, which began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Trump said he would be speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Wednesday. Trump praised Zelenskiy, saying he had been very effective.
When asked if the United States would send additional Patriot interceptors immediately, Trump said “some” could be sent immediately and that he thought Ukraine could begin to produce its own quickly.
“We have Patriots, but we don’t have that many. We need them for ourselves too,” the Republican U.S. president 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.”
Zelenskiy has repeatedly pleaded for the U.S.-made interceptors — the only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles, whose high velocity and steep flight path make them difficult to stop.
Trump said pressure could be applied to companies to produce Patriot missiles. “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,” Trump said.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the interceptor missiles that go in the Patriot system.
It was not clear whether missiles would be manufactured in Ukraine or in another country.
BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK OVERNIGHT
Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv again overnight, officials said on Wednesday, a third attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of U.S.-made air-defence interceptors.
While Ukraine’s air defences intercepted 139 of the 169 drones during the overnight strikes on the country, they were again unable to down any of the five ballistic missiles used by Russia, air force data showed.
Trump said both sides in the war would like to see it end, but Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have both been “difficult.”
“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, who was sitting next to him.
Zelenskiy said he wanted to discuss “some very important details” with Trump.
“I’m sure you will do everything to stop this war,” he told Trump.
Moscow has stepped up its air war on Ukraine in recent months as its ground advances have largely stalled and Ukrainian attacks on its military logistics and oil industry triggered widespread fuel shortages.
Trump also said he thought the U.S. would make a deal to buy Ukrainian drones. Ukraine has developed a highly sophisticated drone industry after having only limited expertise when Russia invaded.
Kyiv has now clinched nine “drone deals” with other nations, including agreements with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands announced on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Gram Slattery in Ankara and Katharine Jackson and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Katharine Jackson and Patricia Zengerle; editing by Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee and Deepa Babington)
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