Donald Trump has cast doubt on allowing Ukraine to build Patriot missiles, saying in an interview he was “not sure” about the move. The US president told the Financial Times: “It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful of who we licence to.” Earlier this week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Trump at the White House where the Ukrainian president said he had discussed licensing arrangements to let Ukraine manufacture its own interceptors for Patriot missile systems. Officials from Patriot maker Raytheon Co have already been to Ukraine, and Lockheed Martin Corp, which builds the PAC-3 interceptors for the air defence system, was also working to send over a team of experts, Ukraine’s envoy to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, said on Thursday. The FT also reported that Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would visit Ukraine for the first time in the coming days.
Donald Tusk has visited the scene of an explosion caused by a Russian missile 50 miles from Poland’s border with Ukraine. The Polish prime minister said: “From the analysis of most of the traces, the recovered fragments point to a Russian KH-101 missile”, but added that there was no reason to think that Poland had been the target. Tusk said the Polish military had been prepared to shoot it down if it threatened a built-up area. The missile explosion triggered Nato air defences, in the midst of a massive air raid that killed 13 people in Ukraine. Nato’s supreme allied commander for Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, said: “Nato will continue to take all necessary measures to defend Nato territory.”
