U.S.–Ukraine Patriot licensing talks continue despite Trump’s equivocations

The discussions center on the PAC-3, the most sophisticated interceptor and the only one available to Ukraine to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.

“During a meeting with Zelenskiy in Ankara, Turkey, last month, Trump said the U.S. would grant Ukraine a license to

“But last week, Trump appeared to reverse course after what two of the sources described as a challenging meeting with Zelenskiy at

Three people familiar with the deliberations said U.S. defense and industry officials had long delayed the idea over security concerns. Negotiations are now being led by U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, who traveled to Kyiv last month to discuss options with Ukrainian officials and defense manufacturers. “There has been no order to stop discussions,” one source said, adding that talks with U.S. manufacturers and the military are continuing. The White House declined to comment.

Reuters reported that several options are under consideration: making individual components in Ukraine with final assembly in Germany; integrating Kyiv into an existing U.S.-European Patriot production program; or permitting production of a less expensive PAC-3 variant.

One U.S. official familiar with the matter said final assembly in Germany, where an older interceptor model is already produced and PAC-3 is planned, was seen as the most realistic option. Another alternative is joining Ukraine to Lockheed Martin’s recently announced, cheaper PAC-3 ACE interceptor.

Even if a deal is reached, Reuters said the first Ukrainian-made interceptors are unlikely to appear for a year or more.