US President Donald Trump said the United States has not agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, despite ongoing discussions, saying Washington must exercise caution before sharing advanced military technology.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the Camp David retreat, Trump said negotiations with Ukraine were continuing but stressed that any decision involving sensitive defence technology would require careful consideration.
“We have not agreed to that. We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology,” Trump said.
“You have to be very judicious, but you have to be very careful. I don’t think this would ever happen, but there’s people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you.”
Trump’s comments mark a shift from remarks he made during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey earlier this month, when he indicated that Washington would grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot missile interceptors domestically to strengthen its air defences against Russia.
Since then, the White House has appeared to step back from that commitment, even after Trump hosted Zelenskyy at the White House this week.
The US president noted that Zelenskyy had requested additional Patriot systems as well as Tomahawk missiles, describing one as a defensive weapon and the other as an offensive capability.
Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent months, placing increasing pressure on Kyiv’s air defence network. Ukrainian officials say the Patriot system remains the country’s only reliable defence against Russian ballistic missiles, but supplies of interceptor missiles remain limited.
Ukraine has long sought a co-production agreement that would allow it to manufacture Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles domestically, reducing its dependence on foreign deliveries.
Trump’s earlier remarks about licensing production surprised defence analysts and government officials, prompting Ukrainian representatives to begin discussions with the Pentagon and US defence companies regarding the technical and legal requirements for such an arrangement.
Those discussions are continuing.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, said on Thursday that she remained confident defence contractor Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the PAC-3 interceptor missiles, was committed to expanding cooperation with Ukraine.
According to Stefanishyna, Lockheed Martin executives met with Zelenskyy earlier this week and are expected to visit Ukraine in the near future to discuss future collaboration.
The proposed production arrangement is viewed by Kyiv as a strategic step towards strengthening Ukraine’s long term defence capabilities as the war with Russia continues.
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