Trump plans Patriot production license for Ukraine, skipping Lockheed
Washington will allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air-defense interceptors, a move aimed at closing a critical missile shortage but one that caught the system's prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, off guard.
Donald Trump announced at the NATO summit in Ankara that the United States will license Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The pledge directly addresses a severe shortfall in Ukrainian air defenses that has allowed Russia to repeatedly strike civilian and infrastructure targets.
Patriots are the only weapons in Kyiv's arsenal capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, a vulnerability made starkly clear by overnight Russian strikes. While Ukrainian forces shot down 139 of 169 drones in the latest barrage, they failed to stop any of the five ballistic missiles fired at the capital, marking the third such attack in less than a week.
The manufacturing shift carries significant implications for the US defense industry. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for Patriot interceptors, has not yet been informed of the decision.
“We have great power over the companies, those companies that make the Patriot,” Trump said, sitting alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We haven’t informed the company of that yet, but that’ll work out all right. I’m sure they will be thrilled.”
Key industrial details remain unresolved. It is unclear whether the license will cover the simpler PAC-2 missiles or the more advanced PAC-3 variant, and how the technology transfer would be managed without risking proprietary secrets.
Moscow immediately signaled its displeasure. Russian state media, which had previously warned that sharing Patriot technology posed a risk to US national security, amplified the announcement. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of abandoning its role as an “honest broker” by decisively backing Kyiv.
This aligns with a recent shift in Kremlin rhetoric. Spokesperson Dimitry Peskov dropped the euphemism of a “special military operation” on Sunday, instead calling the conflict a “real war” due to Western involvement.
Trump framed the license as a defensive measure. “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,” he said, adding: “It’s a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon.”
Russia has intensified its air campaign as its ground offensive has stalled and Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics have triggered domestic fuel shortages. Despite the new military support, Trump maintained that ending the conflict remains difficult, calling both Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy “difficult” characters.
