Trump made 'final decision' on granting Ukraine Patriot licenses, Zelensky says
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U.S. President Donald Trump has approved granting Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 25.
The announcement comes as Kyiv faces a critical shortage of air defense munitions, particularly of Patriots — the only weapons capable of reliably intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
The issue of licensing Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles has remained unsettled for months, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in early September that the move was being negotiated.
Zelensky said U.S. President Donald Trump told him about the "final decision" during their meeting on Sept. 22 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles," Zelensky told reporters.
Zelensky didn't say when Ukraine could begin missile production or what production capacity the agreements would provide.
The White House hasn't commented on the issue.
Since Trump took office again in 2025, the U.S. has ended large-scale defense funding and arms deliveries to Ukraine, leaving Kyiv to rely on support from other partners to obtain key weapons systems.
In July, Trump said he had agreed to grant Ukraine Patriot production licenses, before walking the promise back weeks later.
Patriot interceptors have been even harder to come by as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has diverted supplies to the Middle East.
