Trump expresses doubts over allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles

US President Donald Trump said during a public Cabinet meeting that the United States has to be "very careful" regarding the possibility of allowing Ukraine to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems. He reiterated that he has not made a final decision on whether to grant Ukraine licences to manufacture these missiles.

Trump argued that the US possesses "the greatest weaponry in the world," so it must be judicious about giving other countries permission to produce them. Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he would like to have Patriot systems and Tomahawk missiles, which he described as "one offensive, one defensive." He went on to describe the power of these weapons, saying "nobody's ever seen anything like it." However, he added: "You have to be very judicious, but you have to be very careful. Now we have not agreed to that. We're talking about it. But it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology. And I don't think this would ever happen."

Trump also raised the possibility that countries granted licences by the US to produce its weapons could later turn against Washington. "These people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you," he said. "That is possible. If you look at war, it's happened a couple of times over the years, right? So we have to be very careful."

The comments come just two days after Trump met Zelenskyy in Washington. During that meeting, Zelenskyy asked for an emergency package of Patriot interceptors. Zelenskyy also said that the two leaders discussed licences to manufacture Patriot interceptors and "some other ideas that could help." Earlier in July, Trump had told Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit that the US would give Ukraine the right to produce Patriot systems.