The US continues negotiations on the production of Patriot systems in Ukraine despite Trump's doubts - media
Kyiv • UNN
The negotiations are ongoing, despite Trump's statements that there is no deal. Options are being considered for producing components in Ukraine with assembly in Europe.
The United States continues negotiations on allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missile defense systems, which Kyiv urgently needs to protect against Russian attacks, even after American leader Donald Trump expressed doubt about the possibility of such a deal. Four sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters, reports UNN.
Details
The discussions include an option under which Ukraine would produce some components for final assembly in other European countries, the sources added.
The publication notes that Kyiv seeks to increase the number of PAC-3s, the newest type of Patriot missile and one of the few types of weapons capable of intercepting ballistic missiles that Russia is launching at Ukraine in increasingly greater numbers.
Context
On Saturday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the country had run out of Patriot missile defense systems and that, of the 27 ballistic missiles launched by Moscow that day, only one had been shot down.
During a meeting with Zelensky in Ankara, Turkey, last month, Trump said that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to produce PAC-3s, which would support Kyiv.
However, last week Trump appeared to change his position after meeting with Zelensky at the White House, which, according to two sources, proved difficult. He told reporters that the United States had not agreed to allow Ukraine to produce "Patriot" missiles and that the United States had to be "very careful about allowing someone to produce them."
To add
Zelensky's calls for domestic production of interceptors needed for the Patriot system were largely put on hold by Washington during the war because of security concerns expressed by industry executives and U.S. military officials, three sources said.
Washington's ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, is now leading efforts to reach an agreement and visited Kyiv last month to discuss the issue and assess options with Ukrainian officials and defense industry executives, four sources said.
"There has been no order to stop the discussions," one of the sources said, adding that negotiations were continuing with U.S. weapons manufacturers, military officials and others.
The White House declined to comment on the matter.
According to four sources, the options under consideration include producing Patriot components in Ukraine and sending them to Germany for final assembly, including Ukraine in an existing U.S.-European program to develop a Patriot interceptor, as well as allowing Kyiv to create a cheaper version of the PAC-3.
"Whitaker used his visit to Kyiv last month to "explore opportunities for cooperation in battlefield innovation, such as drones, that will benefit American servicemembers," his spokesperson said, without specifically mentioning the Patriot initiatives.
A senior Trump administration official said that the United States was "exploring several potential avenues for future defense-industrial cooperation with Ukraine," adding that any agreement must prioritize the security of American technologies.