US President Donald Trump’s promise to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors has given a glimmer of hope to millions of Ukrainians terrorized by Russia’s deadly ballistic missiles strikes.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said a “little birdie told me … that we’ll give them the right to make Patriots.”
The announcement came as a surprise, even though Ukraine has been working on the issue for years, and there were some indications a deal could be close. Sat next to Trump, President Volodymyr Zelensky at times looked like he almost couldn’t believe his luck. The two men share a rocky relationship and the flareup in the war in Iran appeared to have put Trump into a foul mood just before his meeting with Zelensky.
Trump’s language was rather vague, and he admitted that he had not yet discussed the issue with the US companies manufacturing the Patriots – Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. They have not commented on it.
Zelensky said that getting production started would eventually allow Ukraine to produce enough interceptors for its needs as well as those of its allies.
