Patriot missile licences for Ukraine will not solve problem this winter – Whitaker
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the United States and Ukraine are working through the details of export licences for missiles used by Patriot systems.
He made the remarks in an interview with Radio Svoboda, Censor.NET reports.
Licences and timelines
"We are working through all the complex details concerning export licences, the companies that hold the intellectual property rights, and what this could look like in practice. But it still will not solve the problem this winter. It will solve it in the long term," the diplomat said.
Whitaker believes the situation will improve significantly in a few years. For now, he said, demand for ballistic missile interceptors exceeds supply.
"These missiles are highly specialised, and producing them takes time — the seeker heads and all the other components. But missile defence matters. It matters to every ally, and I think the competition all this encourages is a good thing," the US ambassador to NATO said.
Ukraine’s own air defences
Whitaker also expressed optimism about Ukraine’s plans to develop its own air and missile defences.
"The Ukrainians are also working very actively — in addition to everything we are doing on Patriot — to develop their own capabilities and their own interceptors. Based on what I saw six weeks ago (July 22, 2026 — ed.) when I was in Ukraine, I think there is some potential there," the diplomat said.
