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Trump Backtracks on Ukraine Patriots: 'Not Sure'

Newsmax · back to the audit
[Published Friday, 31 July 2026 07:25 AM EDT (article:published_time 2026-07-31T07:25:43-04:00)]

President Donald Trump said he has not yet decided whether the United States will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, signaling uncertainty over a proposal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described as a key priority for Kyiv's air defenses. In an interview published Thursday by The Financial Times, Trump said he was "not sure" whether Washington would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missiles. "We're looking at it," the president said, adding that the Patriot system is "a very extraordinary weapon" and that the United States must "be a little bit careful of who we license to. We don't really license equipment." The comments came two days after Trump hosted Zelenskyy at the White House. After the meeting, Zelenskyy described the talks as productive and said the two leaders discussed producing Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Trump had agreed to provide licenses for production and said he recently met with representatives from companies involved in manufacturing the Patriot system. He expressed hope the two countries would pursue joint production. Lockheed Martin and RTX produce Patriot interceptors. Trump's latest comments appeared to contrast with remarks he made at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month, when he said the United States would grant Ukraine a license to produce the missiles. The Patriot air defense system has become a critical component of Ukraine's defense against Russian ballistic missile attacks targeting Kyiv and other cities. Trump said his administration remains focused on ending Russia's war in Ukraine rather than expanding weapons production. "Very simply put, we want the war in Ukraine with Russia ended," he said. "I'm not looking for missiles. We're looking for peace." He also said senior advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are expected to travel to Ukraine in the coming days, marking their first visit to the country.