President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. has not agreed to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile systems, according to reports. The statement contradicts earlier indications that the administration was moving toward approving such a license.
President Donald Trump has stated that the United States has not agreed to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile systems, according to source reports. The statement, reported late Friday or early Saturday, appears to close the door on a production license that Trump himself announced on July 8, and follows a series of rapid reversals on Friday July 31.
At 03:53 Jerusalem on Friday, Trump first said he had not yet decided on the license. Over the course of the day, he told the Financial Times he was "not sure," then explicitly denied approving the deal, said the U.S. must be "very careful," and finally called on both Ukraine and Russia to make concessions. The latest statement confirms that no agreement has been reached, consistent with the denials.
As The Zioneer reported, the initial announcement of a license came on Wed Jul 8, 21:46 Jerusalem, when Trump said the U.S. would grant the license. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pursued the matter, meeting with the U.S. ambassador to NATO on Jul 22 and discussing the license, and the two leaders addressed the possibility of production lines during a White House meeting on Jul 28. The administration's cautious approach to sharing advanced military technology has also been reflected in Trump's reversal on the F-35 sale to Turkey (Jul 7) and the freezing of airstrike plans against Iran amid Patriot stockpile concerns (Jul 26).
The White House has not yet issued an official statement confirming Trump's latest remarks. The precise context and timing of the statement—whether made in an interview or public remarks—have not been detailed.
5 developments
- StrongTrump announces U.S. will grant Ukraine license to produce Patriot missiles
- StrongZelensky says Trump decided to grant Ukraine Patriot missile production licenses
- DevelopingZelensky says Trump intends to have US defense firms build Patriot missile production lines in Ukraine and Europe
- DevelopingZelensky meets with U.S. ambassador to NATO, discusses Patriot missile production licenses
Source and signal
- Open-source intake