By Staff, Agencies

Ukraine is unlikely to begin domestic production of Patriot air defense missiles despite US President Donald Trump's pledge to grant Kyiv a production license, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said Washington would provide Ukraine with a license to manufacture Patriot interceptors but reiterated that the United States would not directly supply additional missiles.

According to Reuters, sources said ongoing hostilities make it unsafe to establish Patriot missile production facilities inside Ukraine while the conflict with Russia continues.

Instead, the sources said the interceptors are expected to be manufactured in Germany or another European country, with production potentially moving to Ukraine only after the conflict ends.

Zelensky has repeatedly attributed Ukraine's shortage of air defense missiles to insufficient Western supplies as Russia continues missile and drone strikes against what Moscow describes as military-related targets in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and civilians.

The United States and its allies are also facing a shortage of Patriot interceptors following their extensive use in both the Ukraine conflict and the US, “Israeli” war against Iran. The limited supply has forced Washington to delay deliveries to several customers in Europe and Asia.

In a Telegram post on Friday, Zelensky said he and Trump had reached "political agreements" on licensing the production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine, adding that technical details would now be finalized by officials from both countries.

He also said Ukraine expects to receive another US military aid package in the coming days, including an unspecified number of PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

Commenting on the development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is aware that the United States continues large-scale deliveries of weapons and military technology to Ukraine.

Peskov added, however, that Washington's position remains contradictory, arguing that while the United States continues supplying arms to Kyiv, it also appears more interested than its European allies in advancing a political settlement to the conflict.