US has already begun process of granting Ukraine licences for Patriot air defence missiles – media
The United States has begun the process of granting Ukraine licences to manufacture missiles for Patriot air defence systems, moving the issue beyond political statements.
The Kyiv Independent reported this, citing a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the matter, Censor.NET informs.
What is known?
According to the official, US defence company Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the missiles, supports granting Ukraine the relevant licences.
In the official’s assessment, the process "will move faster than anticipated several months ago."
Background
- The news came after US President Donald Trump said on 8 July that he would grant Ukraine’s longstanding request to manufacture US missiles for Patriot systems.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on technical teams and ministry representatives to "start working on this without delay so that we obtain the licence as quickly as possible and begin production in Ukraine."
In addition to the United States, Japan and Germany currently hold licences to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
According to Reuters, Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine will initially be manufactured in Germany or another European country. Production will be transferred to Ukraine after the war ends.
