Sources: Trump may grant Ukraine Patriot license

TT

Published 08.08

 

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump shake hands in Florida last December. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/TT

The US is ready to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense missiles, NATO sources tell Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

The information comes ahead of Wednesday's meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

The plan is for the presidents to agree on ways to strengthen Ukraine's air defense, according to Iltalehti.

Zelensky has repeatedly requested a license from the US so that Ukraine can produce Patriot missiles itself. The situation is described as urgent. During Russia’s attacks on Monday night, Ukraine shot down almost all of the cruise missiles, according to Zelensky, but failed to intercept the ballistic ones.

In an interview with The Financial Times on Monday, the president blamed the lack of anti-aircraft missiles:

“That’s the big weakness in this equation.”