President Donald Trump said on Friday the United States had not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles, adding the US had “to be very careful about letting somebody build them”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump for just over an hour at the White House earlier this week for talks that came as Kyiv and Moscow intensify long-range strikes after US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war stalled.
Zelensky said following the meeting that Trump had agreed to license Patriot production to Ukraine, but the US president only said that “many things were discussed” and “the meeting went very well!”
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Ukraine hopes a new push for ceasefire talks with Russia could halt the five-year war before a potentially brutal winter, but needs new anti-ballistic missiles now to defend against strikes by Moscow, the country’s envoy to Washington said on Thursday.
Olha Stefanishyna told reporters that Ukraine was in discussions with the Pentagon about a license to produce Patriot PAC-3 missiles itself, but that process could take 12 months to five years. Discussions were also under way about Ukraine agreeing to a long-term purchase of PAC-3 missiles, and then swapping positions in the production line with another buyer.
Officials from Patriot maker Raytheon Co had already been to Ukraine, and Lockheed Martin Corp, which builds the PAC-3 interceptors for the air defence system, was working to send a team of experts to the country as well, Stefanishyna told an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
“The devastating effect of every overnight attack right now is unbelievable,” Stefanishyna said. “Last night and the night before, it was 30 to 40 ballistic missiles.”
While Ukraine was able to defend against Iranian- and Russian-built drones, it had not yet developed an effective way to defend against ballistic missiles, whose production is being rapidly increased by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“He has an intention to destroy Ukraine, and that’s why, you know, we’re looking for different capabilities. We have been successful in everything, but so far, for this winter, we need the missiles.”
Last month was the deadliest for Ukraine civilians since April 2022, according to the United Nations.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
