The current production volume of Patriot air defense systems is insufficient to meet the demand for protection against ballistic missiles, Ukraine has discussed the issue of a production license for these systems with the US, and calls on partners to support efforts aimed at realizing this, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated.
"We all highly appreciate the Patriot system – it is an excellent system, and there are others. But modern wars have shown that the current production volume of Patriot is insufficient to meet the growing demand for protection against ballistic missiles… We have also discussed with our American partners the issue of Patriot production licenses, and I ask you to support our efforts aimed at implementing this," Zelenskyy said, speaking at the defense industries forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
The president also urged partners to pay due attention to work on European anti-missile systems. "And this cannot wait until 2030 or later. Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-missile systems as soon as possible. In fact, today," he noted.
On June 16, Zelenskyy reported that US President Donald Trump responded positively to the proposal to grant Ukraine licenses to manufacture anti-ballistic missiles and expressed hope that he would agree to such a step.
