Trump says U.S. has not approved Patriot missile production licenses for Ukraine

President Donald Trump told members of his Cabinet on Friday that the United States has not yet reached an agreement to grant Ukraine licenses for the production of Patriot missile systems, a capability Kyiv considers essential for defending against Russian ballistic missiles. Trump said the technology is "a hard thing to give away" and warned that a recipient could "someday turn on you," adding that the two countries are still discussing the issue.

The comments followed a recent White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the discussion on Patriot licenses as "good". Zelenskyy later posted on X that his teams would stay in contact with U.S. officials and thanked the United States for its support.

Earlier in the month, Trump had told Zelenskyy that the United States would provide a license for Patriot production, though he noted that the relevant defense contractor had not yet been notified. On Thursday, he expressed uncertainty about following through on the promise. Lockheed Martin, the contractor that manufactures the Patriot system, did not respond to requests for comment.

Zelenskyy said the Patriot system remains a top priority for Ukraine and that meetings with Lockheed Martin representatives are underway to explore joint production and other capabilities.