US Donald Trump is “not sure” whether he will actually allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air defense missiles, according to the Financial Times. “We’re looking at it,” Trump reportedly added in a phone call with the FT. “It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and … we have to be a little bit careful about who we give the license to. We don’t really license equipment.”
At the NATO summit in July, Trump had said the US would grant Ukraine a license to build Patriots. Two days ago, the US president received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, who afterwards spoke of a good meeting. Ukraine wants to use Patriots to better defend against Russian air attacks.
Stefanischyna stressed that Ukraine urgently needs the missiles to protect itself against the increasing Russian attacks. Representatives of Patriot manufacturer Raytheon Co. have already been in Ukraine, and Lockheed Martin Corp., which produces the PAC-3 interceptors for the air defense system, is working on sending an expert team to the country as well, the ambassador said during an event. “The devastating effects of every nightly attack are currently incredible,” Stefanischyna said. “Last night and the night before, there were 30 to 40 ballistic missiles.”
Source: www.handelsblatt.com
