Zelenskyy: Trump gave the green light for Patriot
US President Donald Trump has announced that he intends to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot missiles, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"At our last meeting, President Trump emphasized to me: yes, I have made a final decision. Ukraine will receive licenses for the production of Patriot missiles," Zelenskyy says in an audio clip sent to journalists on Friday.
Last summer, Trump announced that Ukraine would receive a license to manufacture the Patriot system, but he later appeared to backtrack on the decision by stating that the US should be "very careful" before granting such authorization.
Zelenskyy's statement regarding Trump's decision has not been confirmed by the US.
Ukraine has reported an acute shortage of the US-made Patriot missiles since Israel and the US began a war against Iran, leading to the diversion of these advanced systems.
The Patriot system is considered crucial for protecting the civilian population against Russian missile attacks.
As recently as August, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine needs five percent of the US stockpile of Patriot missiles to get through the winter, and ten percent to destroy all of Russia's ballistic missiles.
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