Published September 23, 2:31 PM UTC · Updated September 24, 2:27 AM

Germany pushes US to allow European production of Patriot interceptors; State Department says no final decision on Ukraine license

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has called on Washington to allow PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems to be produced in Europe, and announced that Germany and the United States signed a declaration of intent on joint production of American weapons systems. The US State Department, meanwhile, said no final decision has been made on granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, despite President Donald Trump having publicly stated twice that he is ready to do so.

Key points

Germany is urging the US to allow European production of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defence systems; Pistorius raised the issue with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington the previous week.
Pistorius and Hegseth signed a declaration of intent on joint production of American weapons systems in Europe; Pistorius said PAC-3 broadly falls under this agreement but further negotiations are needed.
Germany is also pressing the US to allow licensed production of long-range Tomahawk missiles on German territory; Berlin has already concluded a Tomahawk purchase agreement with Washington, but faces a long delivery queue.
The US State Department says no final decision has been made on granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptors, despite Trump's two public statements of readiness to provide one.
State Department representative Ian Baitson said Trump "did not say that it will happen" and that diplomatic negotiations are still underway, urging that the lack of details not be read as a bad sign.
EU member states agreed to purchase American Patriot interceptors for Ukraine totalling €3.2 billion as part of a €90 billion EU loan; US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the main constraint is a lack of production capacity.
Trump said on July 31 that the US "must be very careful" on Patriot licensing; Zelensky said launching Ukrainian production could take roughly one to one-and-a-half years.

Why it matters

Europe is trying to expand local production of US air-defence systems as demand outstrips supply, and Ukraine's ability to obtain or eventually produce Patriot interceptors is central to defending against Russian missile and drone strikes ahead of winter. The licensing dispute also exposes friction between President Trump's public statements and the formal US decision-making process on weapons transfers.

What happened

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday that during a meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington the previous week he had pushed for PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defence systems to be produced outside the United States. Pistorius and Hegseth signed a declaration of intent on joint production of American weapons systems in Europe; Pistorius said PAC-3 broadly falls under that agreement but further negotiations are needed, since the question involves intellectual property and requires agreement from the Pentagon, the White House, and the manufacturer. Germany is also pressing the US to allow licensed production of long-range Tomahawk missiles on German territory; Berlin has already concluded a Tomahawk purchase agreement with Washington that would allow strikes on Russia from German soil, but a long delivery queue remains. EU member states have agreed to buy American Patriot interceptors for Ukraine worth €3.2 billion under a €90 billion EU loan, and US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the binding constraint is a lack of production capacity. On Ukraine's own licensing request, the US State Department said no final decision has been made, with spokesman Ian Baitson noting that Trump "did not say that it will happen" and that negotiations are continuing.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets frame the story around Ukraine's urgent need for Patriot interceptors ahead of winter and Zelensky's reading of his meeting with Trump as positive. They underline that Ukraine has received roughly three times fewer ballistic-defence missiles this year than last, with partners citing Middle East operations as the official reason, and stress that even a granted license would not deliver missiles quickly: Zelensky has said Ukrainian production could take one to one-and-a-half years.

Where reporting differs

Trump has publicly stated twice that he is ready to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, but the US State Department says no final decision has been taken and discussions remain ongoing. Zelensky described Trump as positively inclined toward the license and said Trump assured him it would happen, while State Department representative Ian Baitson said "Trump did not say that it will happen" and that diplomacy is still underway.

Background

At the July NATO summit in Ankara, Trump announced the US would provide Ukraine with a Patriot production license, then appeared to backtrack, saying on July 31 that the US "must be very careful" and warning that countries given such technologies could one day turn them against Washington. At the end of July, Trump refused Zelensky's request for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptors, citing US needs in the Middle East. Zelensky has said launching Patriot production in Ukraine would take roughly one to one-and-a-half years. The Telegraph reported that one compromise under consideration would have Ukraine manufacture individual missile components while assembly takes place in Germany, to address US concerns about technology leakage to Russia.

Statements

Boris Pistorius

Said Germany offered to help meet large demand for American systems by establishing production lines in Europe and in Germany, and that PAC-3 missiles broadly fall under the declaration of intent with the US, though further negotiations are needed; the question ultimately involves intellectual property and requires agreement from the Pentagon, the White House, and the manufacturer, and he expressed hope for a positive decision.

Ian Baitson

Said the United States has not yet made a final decision on granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles; that Trump "did not say that it will happen" and how things will proceed remains unclear because diplomatic negotiations are underway; urged that the absence of details not be viewed as a bad sign and described Trump as a "man of action" who expects such steps from the parties to the conflict.

Volodymyr Zelensky

Said Trump is "positively inclined" toward granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles and that launching production in Ukraine could take about one to one-and-a-half years; also said Ukraine received roughly three times fewer ballistic-defence missiles this year than last, with partners citing Middle East operations as the reason.

Matthew Whitaker

Said the main problem regarding interceptor missile supplies is a lack of appropriate production capacity, and warned on Fox Business that a long-term production deal would not be concluded before winter, with more time still needed before the first missiles are produced in Ukraine.

Donald Trump

Said on July 31 that the United States "must be very careful" on granting Ukraine permission to produce Patriot interceptors, and later said people given such technologies may one day turn them against you; on September 14 said it could receive a license for a "less modern version" of Patriot missiles.

A.I.Trump

Nobody makes missiles better than I would have — believe me. But if Germany wants in, let them show what they've got, and we'll consider the idea. Nine out of ten, they'll be calling. (generated by AI)