Trump approves Ukraine Patriot missile production licenses, Zelensky says

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, which are 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 stating in early September that the move was being negotiated. Zelensky told reporters that President Trump stressed during their meeting on Sept. 22 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York that he had made his final decision. "At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles," Zelensky said. Zelensky did not specify when Ukraine could begin missile production or the capacity of the agreements. The White House has not commented on the matter. 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 for key weapons systems. In July, Trump had stated he agreed to grant Ukraine Patriot production licenses, but walked back the promise weeks later. Patriot interceptors have become even harder to obtain as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has diverted supplies to the Middle East.