Trump grants Ukraine license to produce Patriot missiles; Polish officials welcome move
During a NATO summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump announced the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense missiles, a move that drew positive reactions from Polish officials.
The license announcement
During a NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles.
Trump added that the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, had not yet been informed but would be thrilled. The move fulfills months of lobbying by Kyiv for greater access to advanced air defense technology.One of the things we'll talk about is that we'll give you a license to make Patriots, that's pretty cool.
- Trump and Zelensky meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
- Trump says the US will grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles.
- Trump calls Ukrainian strikes inside Russia an escalation that could end the war; says Putin's conditions are shifting.
- Sikorski calls the license good news; Kosiniak-Kamysz says it shows allied gratitude.
Polish officials react
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed surprise and approval.
He noted that the US rarely shares such technology and that if the effectors are to be produced in Europe, Poland could also benefit. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz linked the announcement to a domestic controversy over Poland's earlier transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, calling the opposition's criticism a "festival of hypocrisy."I must say I am positively surprised that President Trump announced that Ukraine will receive a license, if I understood correctly, to produce missiles for the Patriot system. This is good news on several levels.
If Patriot missiles are designed, built, produced in Europe, and Poland participates in that, we can only be happy. This is the allied gratitude I spoke about.
War dynamics and negotiations
Trump described Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia as an escalation that could help end the war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the strikes had changed the dynamic, making it harder for Russia to defend its airspace and creating space for negotiations.
Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin's conditions for a ceasefire were shifting in Ukraine's favor.I think this is one of those dynamics that have changed in this war over the last few months. It is increasingly difficult for the Russians to defend their own airspace. We hope that this will create space for negotiations to end the war.
he told Zelensky. Trump plans to call Putin after the meeting. He recounted that Putin wanted to meet Zelensky in Moscow, but Zelensky joked that flying there was difficult because of the many Ukrainian drones.I think they're probably getting a little better toward things you would want,
Praise for Poland
Trump also used the meeting to praise Poland and its president, Karol Nawrocki, saying he had supported him during the campaign and that he was doing a great job. The remark came amid the ongoing NATO summit, where alliance unity and support for Ukraine were central themes.
