Zelenskyy after Russian strike calls on US to grant Patriot missile production licences
Following a massive Russian attack, President Zelenskyy urged US President Donald Trump to approve licences for manufacturing Patriot missiles in Ukraine, stressing that domestic production is essential for reliable protection and European security.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the wake of Russia's massive strike on Ukraine, has called on US President Donald Trump to give a positive response regarding licences for the production of Patriot missiles. Zelenskyy made the appeal during his evening address, as reported by European Pravda.
Zelenskyy believes that strengthening air defence must become one of the key outcomes of the upcoming NATO summit and other international talks. "If, of course, NATO still means anything to the Allies. Europe must have its own sufficient capability to defend itself against all types of threats, including this one – Russian ballistic missiles," he said.
The president noted that negotiations with the US administration on Patriot production licences have been ongoing for a long time. He also thanked all countries assisting Ukraine through the PURL programme, which enables the purchase of air defence missiles, including for Patriot systems.
"However, to reliably protect lives, we need our own production. European production here in Ukraine, or jointly with our partners, would, of course, also support the US in operations whenever needed. We hope for a positive response from President Trump to protect lives," Zelenskyy stated.
Earlier, Zelenskyy reported that during his meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, they discussed obtaining a licence for the production of anti-ballistic systems and missiles. In the joint statement following the summit in Évian, G7 leaders expressed their readiness to consider granting Ukraine licences for the production of interceptor missiles directly on Ukrainian territory.
