Zelenskyy Urges US to Grant Patriot Missile Production Licenses After Massive Russian Attack

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a massive Russian shelling of Ukraine, stated that he expects a positive response from US President Donald Trump regarding licenses for the production of Patriot missiles. This statement was made during the head of state's evening address, as reported by «European Pravda».

According to Zelenskyy, strengthening air defense should become one of the key outcomes of the upcoming NATO summit and other international negotiations. He emphasized: «If, of course, NATO still means something to its allies. Europe must have its own sufficient capacity to defend itself against all types of threats, including this one – from Russian ballistic missiles».

The President noted that discussions with the American administration regarding Patriot production licenses have been ongoing for a long time. At the same time, he expressed gratitude to all countries assisting Ukraine through the PURL program, which allows for the purchase of air defense missiles, particularly for Patriot systems.

«But to truly reliably protect lives, our own production is needed. European production here, in Ukraine, or together with partners, would, of course, also support the United States in operations when needed. We very much count on a positive response from President Trump to protect lives,» Zelenskyy stressed. Earlier, the President reported that during a conversation with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, he discussed obtaining a license for the production of anti-ballistic systems and missiles. Additionally, in a joint statement following the Évian summit, G7 leaders expressed their readiness to consider granting Ukraine licenses for the production of interceptor missiles directly on Ukrainian territory.