Ukraine and the US have reached a political agreement on licences for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that key supplies of the missiles were to arrive in the next few days. The Patriot is a US-made air defence system. Its PAC-3 interceptor is one of the few western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has increasingly fired at Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters after returning from a Nato summit and talks withDonald Trump in Turkey, also said that talks were proceeding with the US on a “drone deal” or joint drone production.
Discussions will proceed with Ukraine’s European allies on developing a separate anti-missile system, Zelenskyy said on Thursday, with a meeting planned for France in the near future. “It’s for ballistic targets, similar to Patriot, but more, I would say, mass-produced and a cheaper system,” he said.
A top Ukrainian official has cautioned that it could take a year or more for the country to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The Kremlin said the licence deal reflected what it called Washington’s “ambivalence” but noted it appreciated Trump’s efforts to help broker a peace deal to end the war, which Russia launched over four years ago.
