Granting Ukraine license to produce Patriot missiles still blocked at Pentagon – media

The process of granting Ukraine a license to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defense system remains blocked at the US Department of Defense.

Radio Liberty's Washington correspondent Alex Raufoglu reported this, citing two sources, according to Censor.NET.

What is known?

The licensing paperwork has reportedly still not been finalized, despite reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth approved the matter back in October.

Further processing of the documentation is being held up at the level of US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey.

The Pentagon has not yet commented on the new information.

Licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles

In September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said US President Donald Trump had made a final decision on granting Ukraine licenses to manufacture missiles for Patriot systems.
During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit on July 8, US President Donald Trump said the United States could grant Ukraine a license to manufacture missiles for Patriot air defense systems. He later said Washington should be "very careful" about granting Ukraine the license.
In August, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said there would be no agreement with Ukraine on Patriot missile production before winter.
In early September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States and Ukraine were negotiating the transfer of a license to manufacture missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

Author: Olha Kosharna