Ukraine and the United States have reached a political agreement on licences to produce Patriot missile interceptors in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
The Ukrainian leader also said Kyiv expects to receive a new package of U.S. military support in the coming days, including advanced PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, which are among the few Western weapons systems capable of intercepting Russia’s ballistic missiles.
Speaking to reporters after returning from the NATO summit and talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Türkiye, Zelenskyy said the political decision on Patriot production had been resolved and that technical discussions should begin immediately.
“We resolved this issue politically,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine.
“It is now very important that our technical teams, all our representatives from different ministries, representatives of the executive branch, start working on this without delay, so that we can get licences very quickly and start production in Ukraine as soon as possible.”
The Patriot air defence system has become a critical part of Ukraine’s efforts to protect cities and infrastructure from increasingly frequent Russian missile attacks.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for faster deliveries of Patriot interceptors, particularly as Russian strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have intensified.
The PAC-3 interceptor is designed to counter ballistic missile threats and has been among the most sought-after weapons systems in Ukraine’s defence efforts.
The Ukrainian president said the upcoming U.S. package would include key supplies needed to strengthen the country’s air defence capabilities.
Zelenskyy also said discussions were continuing with Washington on a potential joint drone production agreement.
Although no final deal has been signed, he said documents had already been agreed that would allow the U.S. to receive various Ukrainian-made technologies for testing.
“These include both aerial drones and marine drones, as well as other technological things,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has developed extensive battlefield experience with unmanned systems during the war, while drones have played an increasingly important role in operations on land and at sea.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine was also working with European partners on developing a separate anti-missile system.
He said discussions would continue at a meeting planned in France in the near future, with the aim of creating a system similar to Patriot but designed to be more affordable and easier to produce at scale.
“It’s for ballistic targets, similar to Patriot, but more, I would say, mass-produced and a cheaper system,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that developing such a system was a task he had set for Ukrainian defence manufacturers.
The Ukrainian president also described his latest discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump as constructive, saying relations between the two leaders had improved following a tense meeting last year.
“During the meeting he was very constructive,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Trump was now “positive about Ukraine”.
The talks took place after Trump met both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the NATO summit.
U.S.-led efforts aimed at finding a diplomatic path to end the war have made limited progress, with Washington also focused on other international crises.
Trump said on Wednesday that he and Zelenskyy had developed a “very good” relationship and that both Moscow and Kyiv wanted to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, major disagreements remain between the two sides. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine surrender the remaining parts of the eastern Donetsk region it has failed to capture, while Kyiv has rejected territorial concessions.
Zelenskyy said the latest agreements with Washington represented progress in strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities as the war continues.
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